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Democrats get crucial U.S. Senate seat

Washington: The eight-month saga of a contested U.S. Senate seat appeared to be coming to an end on Tuesday when the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Democrat and former comic Al Franken.

The court unanimously declared that Mr. Franken, after repeated recounts since the November election, had beaten the Republican incumbent, Norm Coleman.

The decision could give the Democrats a majority in the Senate, making legislation immune to Republican filibustering and raising the chances of Barack Obama getting more of his legislative agenda on to the statute books. It could help him get through legislation on health reform and climate change and ensure the success of his Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor.

Mr. Coleman could still take the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court but he has said he would abide by the decision of the Minnesota Supreme Court. More importantly, the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, who has the power to certify the winner, said that after the Supreme Court ruled he would abide by its decision.

Republicans could press Mr. Coleman to take the fight to the Supreme Court to deny the Democrats their 60-seat majority for as long as possible, particularly with so many important issues to be decided in the short term. But there is a question over whether the court would even agree to hear such a case.

The Democrats made advances in both the House and Senate mid-term elections. The fate of the Minnesota seat has been in the balance ever since. The defection of the Republican Senator Arlen Specter to the Democrats raised the prospect that they could achieve the elusive 60 seats in the 100-seat chamber. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2009

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