Don't blame democracy

Such foreign observers as Cuban leader Dr. Fidel Castro are delighted with the election confusion in Florida which, a full week after voting ended, leaves the United States unsure about who its next president will be.

They cite the counting, recounting and political squabbling as proof that democracy is weak, and that the U.S. has no right to advise others what procedures to use when selecting their own national leaders.

They have an argument, for the process is unseemly. Yet they miss a much more important point, that the drawn-out procedure proves again that democracy can produce the most stable of societies and governments, whatever flaws it may have. These same critics should give equal weight to what is not happening in America these days as the political future hangs in the balance.

For one thing, there are no violent street protests by those who fear their side may eventually lose, nor will there be. The recounts are taking place with maximum transparency and bipartisan scrutiny, under existing laws and accepted procedures. Nor do they result from destabilizing allegations of electoral fraud, like those often heard elsewhere, but instead from reasonable claims that the balloting system produced some honest errors that should be put right.

Normally, these marginal mistakes do not matter, but in this year's tight race every vote does count.

Likewise, there is no constitutional crisis. The final tally of electoral college votes is not needed until next month, and Bill Clinton will remain president until January 20 as prescribed by law.

The business of government will proceed, however circumscribed by the usual lame-duck status of an outgoing president. If some national or international emergency arises, the U.S. government remains able to respond.

The tight race also proves again that individual votes are important. Just a few more ballots in several races across the country could have changed the outcome, whether for a legislator (the Senate race in Washington state, for example, is still undecided) or for which presidential candidate carried a given state (New Mexico and Oregon are other examples).

Neither side wants to surrender while victory remains possible. But when the recounts are done, either George W. Bush or Al Gore will concede and democratic normality will return once again.

-- The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong