Europeans perplexed by scenario

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS, NOV. 10. The Europeans are watching the unfolding scenario of the U.S. presidential election in stunned and perplexed silence as the election day turns into an election month, with no clear end in sight, with the prospects of embarrassing legal battles on the political horizon.

The stock markets and currency values hang on tenterhooks, as the world's most prosperous and influential democracy is seen falling into an agonising limbo that follows many elections in the rest of the world. All this is happening in the world's most technologically advanced nation. It now emerges that balance of power for the world's most powerful and coveted office, may rest with ultimate outcome of a handful of votes in Florida.

The Europeans are familiar with traditional election intrigues and cliff-hanger outcomes. In Italy - which has witnessed the rise and fall of 58 post-war Governments - Rome's biggest newspaper inserted a screaming headline, ``A day of banana republic''. Another newspaper wondered if time was not ripe to send in that ``eternal election observer'', the former U.S. President, Mr. Jimmy Carter, to Florida. The Europeans are also puzzled by the seemingly strange ways of the American democracy, which may appoint a new President who has won fewer popular votes than his opponent.

But, political columnists, cartoonists and humorists are obviously having a field day, as European politicians and government officials have become more incredulous about the goings-on in Florida. Today, in major European capitals, everybody wonders about the identity of the 43rd President of the U.S. Most Europeans are also convinced that the closeness of the vote and legislative elections will, more than anything else, highlight the deep social and cultural divide in the U.S. But, for some Europeans, the silver lining in the gloomy American political horizon is that ``nothing drastic'' will happen for a while.

The E.U.-American relationship is at best awkward and although, economic tensions between them have eased, day-to- day relations are still testy.

The European leaders have pinned their hopes on a Gore election win. This is attributed to the so-called ``continuity'' with the Clinton era. Mr Bush is widely rated as a person they do not know well.

And yet, influential sections of the European media wrote editorials welcoming the new Bush concept of ``compassionate conservatism''.

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Section  : International
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