Hand recounts halted

TALLAHASSEE, DEC. 10. In yet another twist in the United States election whirlwind, hand recounts of ballots from key Florida counties stopped only hours after they had begun when the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Republican, Mr. George Bush's request for a halt to them.

The Supreme Court ruling on Saturday immediately deflated the U.S. Vice-President and Democrat, Mr. Al Gore's hopes of wresting the presidential election from Mr. Bush's grasp, hopes for which had soared when Florida's highest court on Friday ordered that a recount could go ahead.

In a public library in the State capital Tallahassee, Leon County judges were supervising the recount of some 9,000 ballots from Miami-Dade county when word came of the Supreme Court decision.

Officials stopped for a recess, held hurried consultations, then walked away from their tables when the order was officially received, court administrators locked the doors to safeguard the ballots stacked on the counting tables.

A counting official said they had heard a rumour about the court order but kept working till they were told to stop. The ballots were packed up and sent to the Circuit Court for safekeeping but were stacked in bunches so the recounting could restart immediately if ordered.

Mr. David Lang, chief clerk of Leon County Circuit Court, said, ``We are all in a state of suspended animation,'' and added that the scene was orderly.

They had counted about 40 per cent of Miami-Dade's votes and ``most were true non-votes. I do not know the number.'' A supervisor said many changes had been discovered. ``There were changes in all directions,'' he said, declining to say whether the changes favoured Mr. Bush or Mr. Gore.

A Republican observer said a wave of relief swept Mr. Bush's supporters in the counting room when the halt order came. As news spread among the 100 or so Bush supporters outside, they began to chant ``we got the stay, we got the stay,'' and ``give it up Gore.'' A dozen of Mr. Gore's supporters also began to shout but their words were drowned out.

- Reuters

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