M A I N   N E W S

Nod to hand recount in Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA Nov 12 (Reuters, AP, PTI) — The Palm Beach County Canvassing Board today ordered a hand recount of all presidential ballots cast in the county, raising the possibility that a significant number of additional votes could be tallied for Vice-President Al Gore.

The board voted two-to-one to take the countywide action after it completed a hand count on a sample of more than 4,500 ballots. The sample amounted to one per cent of the votes cast in the election and yielded a net gain of 19 votes for Mr Gore. Board member Carol Roberts, extrapolating that sample across the entire county, speculated that Mr Gore could gain as many as 1,900 additional votes in the countywide hand recount. WASHINGTON: Republicans sued to halt a recount of disputed ballots in the 2,000

Mr Charles Burton, chairman of the Palm Beach County and Ms Carol Roberts, both members of the county's Board of Elections, view ballots during the manual and machine recount of votes on Saturday. — Reuters photo

presidential race as election officials in one of Florida’s 67 counties continued a hand recount requested by Vice-President Al Gore.

“We’re all in limbo”, said Mr George W. Bush at the end of a week of unprecedented political turmoil.

A federal judge is to rule tomorrow on a Bush campaign request for a court order blocking the manual recount from continuing in Florida.

The Texas Governor holds a narrow lead from Tuesday’s vote after an unofficial recount, with an unknown number of overseas ballots yet to be counted. The winner of the state stands to gain an electoral college majority and become the nation’s 43rd President.

The Republican suit, filed Saturday in Miami, cited a need to “preserve the integrity, equality, and finality” of the vote. Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III said with a manual recount, “human error, individual subjectivity, and decisions to ‘determine the voters’ intent’ would replace precision machinery in tabulating millions of small marks and fragile hole punches.”

Hours later, Democrats forcefully called for its withdrawal. “The hand count can be completed expeditiously and it should be”, former Secretary of State Warren Christopher said. He noted that Mr Bush, as Governor of Texas, had signed legislation specifying that hand recounts be used to settle certain disputed elections.

In Volusia County officials put off a hand recount saying they first needed to complete a review of write-in ballots.

In heavily Republican Duval County, election officials disclosed that about 26,000 ballots were disqualified and never counted because they were marked for more than one presidential candidate, or none at all.

The unsettled situation in Florida held the candidates and their supporters in suspense and the nation in thrall.

Republican strategists, speaking on condition of anonymity, said pending the outcome of the legal challenge, they were considering challenging narrow Gore victories in Wisconsin, Oregon or elsewhere, or possibly seeking recounts in additional Florida counties.

Meanwhile, a Federal Court in Florida will take up tomorrow the Republican lawsuit seeking to halt the manual recount of ballots, machine-counted twice before, in four counties.

In any event the winner cannot be declared until Florida received all the postal ballots by November 17.

The state of California has said all its postal ballots will be counted only by December, though that may not affect the result. If they lose the case in Florida, the Republicans will try the Democratic tactics in states where Mr Gore won narrowly.

To help Gore, black orator Jese Jackson is mobilising the minorities for a rally while Kwami Mfume, president of the black civil rights organisation, the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, who, like Jackson, is keen that Mr Gore should win the Presidency, has set himself up as a commission.

Gujarat Health Minister resigns

GHANDHINAGAR, Nov 12 (UNI) — Gujarat Health Minister Ashok Bhatt today resigned from the state Cabinet owning moral responsibility.

He handed over his resignation letter to Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel who has accepted it after holding talks with his senior Cabinet colleagues Suresh Mehta and Vajubhai Vala.

Mr Patel said, “we are aware that he will be found innocent in court.’’

Mr Bhatt was chargesheeted in a case of rioting and unlawful assembly on April 22, 1985 by city Civil Sessions court along with Union Minister of State for Defence Harin Pathak recently.

Yesterday, Mr Pathak handed over his resignation to the Prime Minister.