Washington (AFP) - The head of an international observer mission to the US elections on Wednesday criticized President Donald Trump's allegations of cheating, saying he undermined trust in democracy.
The mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which monitors elections throughout Western nations and the former Soviet Union, said there was no evidence of election fraud in Tuesday's vote which was "competitive and well managed."
"Baseless allegations of systematic deficiencies, notably by the incumbent president, including on election night, harm public trust in democratic institutions," Michael Georg Link, who led the mission, said in a statement.
In a preliminary report, the mission warned that statements by Trump during the campaign "were perceived by many as increasing the potential for politically motivated violence after the elections."
The mission also called for the counting of all votes after the Trump campaign said it had sued to stop the process in the crucial states of Michigan and Pennsylvania.
"Nobody -- no politician, no elected official -- should limit the people's right to vote," Link said in his statement.
"Coming after such a highly dynamic campaign, making sure that every vote is counted is a fundamental obligation for all branches of government."
