The recount of votes in Florida that will decide the US presidential election is to begin Wednesday and continue to Thursday, state election officials said in Tallahassee, the state capital.
"It is expected that the recount will be completed by the close of business on Thursday, November 9, 2000," election officials said in a statement.
AFP reported earlier that the results of the US presidential race in Florida were again declared too close to call Wednesday as US television networks for a second time revised their projections for the state.
CBS, CNN and MSNBC said the results of the race for Florida's crucial 25 electoral votes, projected to have been won earlier by Texas Governor George W. Bush propelling him into the presidency, were not clear.
On Tuesday, shortly after the polls closed in the state, the same networks had projected Gore the winner in Florida but retracted that prediction.
Al Gore retracted his concession of defeat, as his camp doubts the results of the elections, reported BBC TV Channel.
His campaign manager said in a statement addressing thousands of Gore’s supporters that “the declared Bush victory is premature.”
Florida's secretary of state said early Wednesday that the presidential race may not be over because the vote count between George W. Bush and Al Gore is too close, US television said, reported AFP.
The agency said that CBS and CNN reported that the official, Katherine Harris, said the difference in votes between Bush and Gore was less than 700 votes and that an automatic recount might be required.
Networks earlier projected a slim victory in the state for Bush, giving him Florida's crucial 25 electoral votes and putting him one over the 270 needed to win the White House, according to the agency.
Gore, who had been preparing to deliver a concession speech at his campaign headquarters in Nashville, was delaying his appearance before a waiting crowd pending more details from Florida, the networks said.
Florida election officials said that overseas ballots have yet to be processed, and that several countries have yet to report their absentee ballots, according to the CNN website.
For his part, Bush’s campaign manager said that his boss was still leading by 1200 votes, reported the BBC satellite channel – (Several Sources)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
