MOSCOW, November 4. /TASS/. As American citizens head to the polls to elect the President and Vice President of the United States, along with 435 representatives to the House, and 35 senators out of 100 to the Senate, the vote is being held calmly without any serious violations.
Incumbent US President Donald Trump claims that Republicans will have a confident victory in key battleground states, which will decide the outcome of the race. "I hear we are doing very well in Florida and we're doing very well in Arizona. We're doing incredibly well in Texas. We're doing, I think we're doing — I'm hearing we're doing well all over," said Trump, without elaborating what precisely these highly optimistic assertions are based on.
Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Joe Biden has so far refrained from making any predictions.
No violations
Voters are waiting in long lines to cast their ballots at some polling stations. So far, no serious violations or mishaps have been reported. In Pennsylvania, the voting process in three constituencies was slightly delayed. In Georgia, glitches emerged in an automatic voting system in one constituency, but they were quickly ironed out. In Nebraska, the authorities asked voters to ignore anonymous phone calls with demands to stay at home on Election Day. Meanwhile in New York, several ballot papers had been sent to deceased people.
The issue of alleged foreign meddling in the election, which both presidential candidates had raised during the campaign, was again touched upon by the US government. Nonetheless, Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf pointed out: "We have no indications that a foreign actor has succeeded in compromising or manipulating any votes in this election".
Trump remains confident
According to experts, more than 100 million Americans cast their vote early, with nearly 65 mln of them by mail. That said, mail-in votes could hold up the counting process and some experts warn that the outcome could be announced days or even weeks after the Election Day polls close.
The first precise data on the voting outcome is now known in a couple of New England townships. In Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, all five voters backed Biden, while Trump held a lead over his Democratic challenger in Millsfield, New Hampshire (16-5).
Trump asserted, "Well, I think you will know possibly tonight depending on the extent of a victory. I think you could know tonight". In contrast, Biden declined to make any predictions, calling on his supporters to "vote for a new day in America."
World community closely watching
The entire global community is keeping its eyes peeled on the American presidential election. Officials in some countries, including Canada and Germany, said they hoped to cooperate with the United States regardless of the voting outcome. Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the EU could have to focus more on its own security no matter who emerges victorious in the US. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Kommersant that Russia would respect any choice made by the American people, and was ready to build constructive cooperation, but Moscow did not have exaggerated expectations.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry hoped for positive changes in Washington’s stance on China, who is ready to cooperate, but will still pursue its own interests.
Amid election expectations, the Dow Jones and S&P 500 finished higher on the NYSE. In Shanghai and Shenzhen, key stocks also climbed on November 3.