Battle headed for Florida Supreme Court again: Gore

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, DEC. 4. Under increasing pressure from the Republicans to quit, the Vice-President, Mr. Al Gore, has said he is determined to continue his legal fight and, at the same time, accept the final outcome in the U.S. presidential election.

In a television interview on Sunday, Mr. Gore said, ``regardless of how it comes out, whoever is sworn in as President on January 20 should have support of all the people. And if that's not me, I will not question the fairness or legitimacy of the final outcome.''

He said the final word would not be what the Circuit Court in Tallahassee determined and that the issue was once again headed for the Florida Supreme Court.

The Republicans, meanwhile, turned the heat on Mr. Gore asking him to call it a day. ``All of us understand how difficult this is for him. I think history would regard him in a better light if he were to bring this to a close,'' said Mr. Richard Cheney, running mate of the Texas Governor, Mr. George W. Bush.

After a marathon 13-hour session, the two camps wound up their arguments in the Leon County circuit court in Tallahassee. Twice, the Democrats tried to get the judge, Mr. Sanders Sauls, to allow recounts and then decide whether they would count. The judge did not budge.

``Whatever happens, both sides know this is going to end up in the Florida Supreme Court. It is not a recount. It is a first count,'' Mr. Gore said pointing out that some 14,000 ballots tossed out by the machine had not been factored in at all. The Republicans said the State had a count and two recounts, and that it was high time for Mr. Gore to accept defeat.

Mr. Gore argued that should the Texas Governor be sworn in on January 20, 2001 he would be ``my President too''. But this would take place only ``at the end of the day, when all the processes have taken place.'' Mr. Gore also hoped the Republicans in the Florida State Legislature would not get involved. ``I can't imagine they would do that,'' he said.

Republicans in the legislature are in a dilemma over whether to intervene in the process while it is being fought in court. Hardline members of the Grand Old Party mention a constitutional obligation and threaten to call a special session to ensure Florida's ability to cast its 25 electoral votes in the election is not jeopardised.

``We are not trying to steal any election. We are trying to preserve the election as it was conducted under the law that existed before the Florida Supreme Court changed that,'' the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Mr. Tom Feeney, said. But Republicans in the State Senate are trying to put brakes on a process that is fraught with difficulty.

The Democrats are convinced the present uncertainty will be over by the middle of December. But many are pointing to January 6, 2001 when the new Congress would have to certify the votes of the electoral college. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have vowed a major fight on that day.

Senior Democratic lawmakers have said they will challenge the electoral college if the Florida legislature intervenes and forces a slate of electors, who will most certainly vote for Mr. Bush.

A lot of attention is on Mr. Sauls' ruling on the handcounts demanded by the Democrats. The Republicans have said that if the judge allows handcounts, ``all'' ballots in Palm Beach and Miami Dade - some 1.1 million in all - should be counted. The Republicans also want recounts in three other counties.

On the other hand, there is a feeling that the much- awaited ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court may be significant enough for either of the candidates to quit. But a ruling, expected anytime, will have its political fallout, it is presumed.

Meanwhile, the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), has said it will go to court to fight the manner the elections were conducted in Florida. The Civil Rights leader, Mr. Jesse Jackson, claimed that there was a ``clear pattern of voter suppression'' of African- Americans in Florida; and the Justice Department is determining to see if any Federal investigation is warranted.

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