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Rabu, 11 November 2020

All Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers to resign as China crushes opposition - CNA

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's pro-democracy lawmakers said on Wednesday (Nov 11) they would all quit in protest at the ousting of four of their colleagues by the city's pro-Beijing authorities.

The four were disqualified in line with a resolution adopted earlier in the day by China's parliament authorising the local government to expel any politician it deemed a threat to national security.

The resignations will reduce the semi-autonomous city's once-feisty legislature to a gathering of Chinese loyalists, effectively ending pluralism in the chamber.

They also mark another blow to Hong Kong's beleaguered pro-democracy movement, which has been under sustained attack since China imposed a sweeping national security law earlier this year.

"We... will stand with our colleagues," Wu Chi-wai, convener of the 15 remaining pro-democracy legislators, told a press conference.

"We will resign en masse."

Earlier Wednesday, Hong Kong authorities ousted the four members just minutes after one of China's top lawmaking committees ruled the city's government could remove any legislator deemed a threat to national security without going through the courts.

READ: Hong Kong disqualifies four opposition lawmakers following Beijing resolution

Hong Kong's leader is chosen by pro-Beijing committees, but half of its legislature's 70 seats are directly elected, offering the city's 7.5 million residents a rare chance to have their voices heard at the ballot box.

Scuffles and protests routinely break out, with the pro-democracy minority often resorting to filibustering and other tactics to try to halt bills they oppose.

At Wednesday's press conference the pro-democracy camp joined hands and shouted "Hong Kong add oil!" - a popular slogan during months of huge and often violent protests that rocked the financial hub last year.

China passed the sweeping security law in June to quell the protests, describing it as a "sword" hanging over the heads of critics.

'TOTAL HOSTILITY'

Opposition lawmaker Claudia Mo said Beijing was trying to "sound the death knell of Hong Kong's democracy fight".

"They would think that from now on, anyone they found to be politically incorrect or unpatriotic... they could just oust you," she said.

"We are quitting this term, this legislature, we're not quitting Hong Kong's fight."

International condemnation poured in of the move against the lawmakers.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab criticised China's decision as "a further assault on Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and freedoms".

Chris Patten, the city's last colonial governor, also criticised the removals.

"Once again, (Chinese President) Xi Jinping's regime has demonstrated its total hostility to democratic accountability, and those who wish to stand up for it," he said.

Germany's foreign ministry voiced "deep concern" over the ousting, saying the move "undermined pluralism and freedom of expression".

'MY HONOUR'

The disqualified lawmakers were defiant.

"If observing due process, protecting systems and functions and fighting for democracy and human rights would lead to the consequence of being disqualified, it would be my honour," said Dennis Kwok, one of the ousted four.

The quartet had initially been banned from running in the city's legislative elections - which were scheduled to be held Sep 6 - after calling on the United States to impose sanctions on Hong Kong officials.

Those elections were postponed, with authorities blaming the coronavirus.

Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam defended the disqualifications Wednesday saying they were "constitutional, legal, reasonable and necessary".

A foreign ministry spokesperson in Beijing, meanwhile, said they were a "necessary measure in order to maintain the rule of law in Hong Kong".

More than 10,000 people were arrested during more than seven months of protests, and the courts are now filled with trials - many of them involving opposition lawmakers and prominent activists.

Critics say the law's broadly worded provisions are a hammer blow to the flickering freedoms that China promised Hong Kong could keep after the end of British colonial rule in 1997.

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2020-11-11 18:22:30Z
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Hong Kong opposition quits as China moves to quash dissent - The Straits Times

HONG KONG - Hong Kong’s legislature will have no opposition lawmakers after the pan-democratic camp hand in their resignation en masse on Thursday (Nov 12), adding to growing fears that Beijing wants to crush dissent and create a rubber-stamp parliament.

This comes after China’s top legislative body passed a resolution on Wednesday that required Hong Kong lawmakers to be patriots, widely viewed as a move to curb debate in a city that had managed to thrive on it.

The resolution of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) stated that legislators who promote or support Hong Kong independence, refuse to acknowledge China’s sovereignty over Hong Kong, ask external forces to interfere in the territory’s affairs or commit other acts that threaten national security should be disqualified.

Citing the need for a smooth implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle and long-term stability in Hong Kong, it said all public servants in the city – including lawmakers – must support the Basic Law - and be loyal to the Hong Kong government.

NPCSC Chairman Li Zhanshu said at the close of a two-day meeting that Beijing’s decision is “conducive to the long-term peace and stability, as well as prosperity and development of Hong Kong.”

The decision applies not only to future lawmakers but also to four pan-dem lawmakers who were barred from running in the Legislative Council or Legco elections, postponed from September till next year.

The Hong Kong government announced the disqualification of Mr Alvin Yeung, Mr Dennis Kwok, Mr Kwok Ka Ki and Mr Kenneth Leung, with Chief Executive Carrie Lam endorsing the decision.

She said it would be a “blatant deviance” from the Basic Law that governs the territory if lawmakers who breached their oaths stayed in office.

The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said that the disqualification “has a solid legal foundation and has an undeniable authority”.

The Legco has been plagued by bitterness between the pan-dem and pro-establishment camps, with filibustering and chamber drama arising several times in at least the past year.

“I have taken the responsibility to seek a solution to address this problem,” said Mrs Lam, who said Hong Kong plans to introduce legislation to formalise the process and spell out legal consequences for violators.

“I cannot arbitrarily take action without any basis that’s why I made the request to an organ that has the power to make such a decision. There is no relationship with the timing of my visit,” she added, referring to her recent Beijing visit to seek support on measures to support Hong Kong’s economy.

Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi Wai said on Wednesday that the remaining 15 opposition lawmakers will hand in their resignation letters on Thursday - a move the pan-dem bloc had warned of on Monday if any of them were to be disqualified.

He noted that as early as 2014, Beijing had announced in a white paper that it would extend its jurisdiction over Hong Kong completely.

“There is a separation of power under the stipulation of the Basic Law, but today, the decision made by the central government simply says that all the separation of power will be taken away, and all the power will be centralised in the Chief Executive.

“Of course, the Chief Executive is a puppet of the central government ...we say that today is the end of the ‘One Country, Two Systems” (principle),” said Mr Wu.

Legco President Andrew Leung dismissed the notion that the decision creates a rubber-stamp legislature: “Do you think the pro-government camp is one party? They have a lot more different voices ... Without the pan-dems, we might have more opposition from the pro-government camp than anyone.”

Associate Professor Alfred Wu of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy noted that even if the pan-dems were to stay on, the opposition bloc would not be able to veto the passing of measures with the disqualification of the four lawmakers.

“Beijing has a clear idea of the consequence of what will happen if they resign. Now, it’s very clear that Hong Kong lawmakers have become a rubber stamp since all of them are pro-government,” he said.

Asked about Mr Leung’s suggestion that pro-Beijing lawmakers can be the opposition voice too, Prof Wu said: “China also has a similar model. Who believes China really has check and balance between power and government?”

Mr Lau Siu Kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said Beijing, which decides on matters of the Basic Law and the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, has to ensure that these are executed with precision.

He noted that the chaos in Hong Kong’s Legco has meant that it could not function and the government is stuck in a quandary. This situation prompted Beijing to act, he said.

“If the opposition leaves, relations within Legco will improve in the year that follows and major policies dealing with different crises can be pushed through quickly. The government and the pro-Beijing camp will have to account for the success or failure of those policies so they are likely to move cautiously ahead."

Britain’s foreign minister Dominic Raab said the expulsion of the four lawmakers constituted an assault on
Hong Kong’s freedoms as set out in the UK-China Joint Declaration.

“This campaign to harass, stifle and disqualify democratic opposition tarnishes China’s international reputation and undermines Hong Kong’s long-term stability,” he said on Wednesday in a statement.

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2020-11-11 15:55:33Z
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Hong Kong's pro-democracy lawmakers to resign en masse - CNA

HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s pro-democracy lawmakers on Wednesday (Nov 11) said they will resign en masse following a move by the city’s government to disqualify four pro-democracy legislators.

The pro-democracy camp announced their decision in a news conference, hours after the Hong Kong government said it would be disqualifying four pro-democracy legislators - Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung - from the legislature.

READ: Hong Kong disqualifies four opposition lawmakers following Beijing resolution

The disqualifications came after China's National People’s Congress Standing Committee, which held meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, passed a resolution stating that those who support Hong Kong's independence or refuse to acknowledge China’s sovereignty over the city, as well as commit acts that threaten national security or ask external forces to interfere in the city’s affairs, should be disqualified.

“Today we will resign from our positions, because our partners, our colleagues have been disqualified by the central government’s ruthless move,” Wu Chi-wai, convener of the pro-democracy camp, said at the news conference.

“Although we are facing a lot of difficulties in the coming future for the fight of democracy, but we will never, never give up,” he said.

Wu said that the pro-democracy legislators will hand in their resignation letters on Thursday. During the news conference, pro-democracy lawmakers chanted “Hong Kong add oil, together we stand” while holding hands.

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Hong Kong opposition quits as China moves to quash dissent - The Straits Times

HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) - Hong Kong’s opposition bloc resigned en masse on Wednesday (Nov 11) after China moved to disqualify lawmakers who are not deemed sufficiently loyal, one of Beijing’s strongest moves yet to quash dissent in the territory.

Fifteen members of the pro-democracy camp in the 70-seat Legislative Council (Legco) quit following the disqualification of four members under Beijing’s new rules.

The announcement was made at a joint briefing, at which the lawmakers held hands and chanted protest slogans including “Hong Kong add oil – together we stand”.

“This move makes it clear that dictatorship has descended on to Hong Kong and that Chinese Communist Party can eradicate all opposing voices in the legislature,” Mr Fernando Cheung, one of the lawmakers, said earlier by phone. “There’s no more separation of powers, no more ‘one country, two systems’, and therefore no more Hong Kong as we know it.”

China’s top legislative body earlier passed a measure requiring Hong Kong lawmakers to demonstrate loyalty to the central government, curbing debate in a democratic institution that has endured more than two decades after the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule in 1997.

The decision by the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee is “conducive to the long-term peace and stability, as well as prosperity and development of Hong Kong”, chairman Li Zhanshu said at the close of its two-day meeting.

Offences included supporting Hong Kong independence, refusing to recognise China’s sovereignty over the city, asking foreign countries to intervene, failing to uphold the territory’s Basic Law or pledge allegiance to Hong Kong and “engaging in any other acts that endanger national security”, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said.

“We need to have a political body that’s composed of patriots,” Mrs Lam said at a briefing on Wednesday, echoing similar statements from China’s top agencies overseeing Hong Kong.

She dismissed concerns that Hong Kong would have a “rubber-stamp” legislature if the pro-democracy members resigned, saying she welcomes “diverse opinion”.

The Hang Seng Index closed 0.28 per cent lower on Wednesday, with declines accelerating in late afternoon trade.

The resolution is the latest sign of China’s determination to rein in dissent in the wake of anti-government protests that rocked Hong Kong last year.

Beijing bypassed the Legislative Council to impose controversial national security legislation in June, causing the Group of Seven (G-7) nations to accuse China of violating the terms of its handover agreement with Britain and prompting the Trump administration to sanction more than a dozen senior officials who oversee the city.

The mass resignation highlights international concerns about China’s human rights practices just as United States President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office on a promise to defend democratic values around the world. He has vowed to “fully enforce” legislation signed by President Donald Trump that punishes Beijing for eroding Hong Kong’s autonomy.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Wednesday called the matter “purely China’s internal affairs”, and warned foreign governments to avoid “interference or wanton comments”.

The ability to purge opposition lawmakers would make it easier for Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed politicians to control the Legislative Council if they win an unprecedented majority in elections that the government has postponed - citing coronavirus concerns - over the protests of democracy advocates.

The move by Beijing will demolish any opposition in the legislature and allow the Hong Kong government to ram through even more restrictive measures in the coming years, said Dr Ivan Choy, a senior lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

'NASTY THINGS'

“The situation is quite clear in Hong Kong that Beijing is trying to eradicate any political opposition, whether it's the moderate or the radical wing,” Dr Choy said.

“In the next two years, I think they'll do even more nasty things to strengthen their draconian rule.”

The lawmakers disqualified on Wednesday – Mr Alvin Yeung, Mr Dennis Kwok, Mr Kwok Ka Ki and Mr Kenneth Leung – were among the body’s more moderate members, and not known proponents of independence.

They were among 12 candidates barred in July from seeking election for, among other things, vowing to “indiscriminately” vote down legislative proposals, a reference to the opposition’s plan to exercise a constitutional provision that would force Mrs Lam to resign if her budget failed to pass.

Pressed on whether she was seeking to ban parliamentary delay tactics common to legislatures around the world, Mrs Lam said “it’s all a matter of degree”, and pledged to “respect the check-and-balance responsibility” of the body.

“They want to turn the Legislative Council into the National People’s Congress,” pro-democracy lawmaker James To said at the briefing on Wednesday.

The move will raise new questions about the future of the legislature, perhaps the most high-profile platform for open debate left under Beijing's rule.

After several radical “localist” activists were among a record 29 opposition lawmakers elected in 2016, China handed down a ruling that led to the disqualification of a half dozen lawmakers.

Several remaining lawmakers are also facing criminal charges related to various protests against the government, including seven charged in recent months with participating in a scuffle at the Legislative Council in May.

“It means, effectively, the end of meaningful opposition in Hong Kong and the acceleration of the integration of Hong Kong into the mainland party state,” said Mr Antony Dapiran, a Hong Kong-based lawyer and author of City On Fire: The Fight For Hong Kong.

“Going forward, Legco will only comprise Beijing-friendly people and the scope for opposition figures, even if they get into Legco, to do anything meaningful will be constrained to the extent that the Legco becomes like the NPC: a rubber-stamp Parliament.”

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Hong Kong disqualifies four opposition lawmakers following Beijing resolution - CNA

HONG KONG: Hong Kong disqualified four opposition members of its legislature on Wednesday (Nov 11) shortly after the Chinese parliament adopted a resolution allowing the city's executive to expel legislators without having to go through the courts.

The expulsions came shortly after China's parliament adopted a resolution allowing the city's executive to expel legislators deemed to be supporting Hong Kong independence, colluding with foreign forces or threatening national security, without having to go through the courts.

The 19 pan-democratic members of the 70-seat city legislature on Monday threatened to resign en masse if any of them was disqualified, saying that would reflect their unity and show how far Beijing was willing to go to crush opposition.

While the city's Legislative Council is controlled by a pro-Beijing camp, the resignations of its pro-democracy lawmakers would turn it into a rubber stamp.

The opposition members have tried to make a stand against what many people in the former British colony see as Beijing's tightening grip over the financial hub, despite a promise of a high degree of autonomy.

"My mission as a legislator to fight for democracy and freedom cannot continue but I would certainly go along if Hong Kong people continue to fight for the core values of Hong Kong," one of the disqualified assembly members, Kwok Ka-Ki, told reporters.

China denies encroaching on Hong Kong's freedoms but authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing have moved swiftly to stifle dissent after anti-government protests flared in June last year and plunged the city into crisis.

READ: Seven pro-democratic lawmakers arrested in Hong Kong

The city government said in a statement the four legislators - Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung - were expelled from the assembly for endangering national security. It did not elaborate.

They were among 12 legislators who were earlier disqualified from standing in a legislative election, now postponed, for various reasons including collusion with foreign forces and opposition to the new national security law.

'IGNORES RIGHTS'

The disqualifications are likely to add to concern in the West about Hong Kong's autonomy, promised under a "one country, two systems" formula when Britain handed it to China in 1997, as Joe Biden prepares to take over from Donald Trump as US president, promising to promote democracy around the world.

"This completely violates the 'one country, two systems' proper procedures and ignores basic human rights," Dennis Kwok told reporters.

The decision by the Chinese parliament's top decision-making body comes amid frustration in pro-Beijing circles in Hong Kong over what they see as opposition "delay tactics" to obstruct legislation.

Filibustering has long been common in Hong Kong where only half of the 70 seats in the legislature are elected and the other half stacked with pro-Beijing figures.

This month, eight opposition politicians were arrested in connection with a meeting in the Legislative Council in May that descended into chaos.

On Jun 30, Beijing introduced sweeping national security legislation to the city, punishing anything China considers subversion, secessionism, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

Since then, authorities have removed some pro-democracy books from libraries, banned certain songs and other activities in schools, declared some slogans illegal and raided the newsroom of an anti-government tabloid.

Critics say the authorities are trying to kill the momentum of the pro-democracy movement. Government supporters say the authorities are trying to restore stability in China's freest city after a year of unrest.

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2020-11-11 06:56:15Z
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Record 200000 new cases in US as COVID-19 vaccine offers glimmer of hope - CNA

WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday (Nov 10) registered a record 200,000 new COVID-19 cases in one day, highlighting the desperate need for a vaccine after results from one medical trial fuelled optimism around the world.

The vaccine news brought some relief from an otherwise grim picture, with tighter restrictions imposed in Europe and the Middle East, and a surge in the US claiming 1,535 lives in 24 hours.

Stocks in some industries hit hardest by travel curbs, social distancing and lockdowns rebounded on hopes that the world may return to normal, after pharma giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced on Monday that their vaccine candidate was 90 per cent effective.

A vaccine is seen as the best chance to break the cycle of deadly virus surges and severe restrictions across much of the world since COVID-19 first emerged in China late last year and ballooned into a pandemic.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they could supply up to 50 million doses of the vaccine globally this year and up to 1.3 billion next year if it receives approval.

The scientific community reacted positively overall - although the trial is still ongoing and the vaccine candidate would need to be stored in specialist deep freezers, creating huge supply chain complications.

The vaccine candidate is one of more than 40, but no other developer has yet made similar claims about effectiveness.

READ: Alarmed by soaring COVID-19 hospitalisations, some US states tighten curbs

There was also promising news from Brussels, where the EU parliament and member states struck a deal to pass the bloc's multi-annual budget, unblocking €750 billion (US$886 billion) in coronavirus recovery funds.

Dacian Ciolos, head of the parliament's centrist Renew Europe Group, called the agreement "a game-changer" for Europeans facing adversity from the pandemic.

"A VERY DARK WINTER"

The novel coronavirus has infected close to 51 million people worldwide, with more than 1.2 million deaths.

On Tuesday, 6,867 new deaths were recorded worldwide, with the highest daily tolls in France, Spain and the United States.

The US remains the hardest-hit nation at more than 10 million cases and nearly 240,000 deaths, with shocking new data now including a record 60,000 current hospitalisations.

The pandemic was one of the top issues for voters in last week's presidential election.

Joe Biden, who had slammed President Donald Trump's handling of the crisis, spared no time in announcing a COVID-19 taskforce on Monday after being declared president-elect.

"We're still facing a very dark winter," Biden said.

READ: COVID-19 vaccine news gives 'hope', but long battle ahead, says Biden

Election 2020 Biden — A woman without a face mask photographs Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden as he visits with residents across the street from the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Aquatic Center in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Trump had clashed repeatedly with his own government experts, often refusing to back restrictions or even wear a mask in public. After the Pfizer announcement, he claimed - without evidence - that the news was delayed until after the election to damage him.

READ: Trump refuses to concede, Biden leads on COVID-19

There was a separate breakthrough when the US Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted emergency approval to a synthetic antibody treatment developed by the pharma company Eli Lilly.

Bamlanivimab, which was shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and emergency room visits, is the first major drug to be approved that was designed specifically for the coronavirus.

"STAGE OF CRITICAL DANGER"

Despite encouraging news on the medical front, rising infection and death rates have left many governments struggling to cope.

Brazil's far-right president Jair Bolsonaro - who has downplayed the virus even as it has killed 163,000 people in his country - lashed out with a homophobic rant.

"I regret the deaths. I really do. But we're all going to die someday. There's no use fleeing reality. We have to stop being a country of fags," he said in a speech. "We have to face up to it and fight. I hate this faggot stuff."

In Italy, virus restrictions were increased in five of the country's 20 regions on Tuesday.

Hungary, one of the hardest-hit countries in terms of deaths in proportion to the population, has also announced new measures to come into force on Wednesday.

Elsewhere on the continent, Albania imposed a night-time curfew and Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid went into self-isolation after coming into contact with someone diagnosed with Covid-19.

In Greece, the government stopped supermarkets from selling "non-essential goods" in order to avoid unfair competition against smaller shops that have been forced to close, following a similar move in France.

In the Middle East, Lebanon on Tuesday announced a fresh two-week lockdown despite a grinding economic crisis that has already battered businesses.

"We've reached a stage of critical danger as private and public hospitals don't have the capacity to receive severe cases," the country's caretaker prime minister, Hassan Diab, said in a televised address.

The region also mourned the death from coronavirus complications of veteran Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat - a long-time architect of plans to end the conflict with Israel through the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called the passing of "a brother and friend ... a great loss for Palestine and our people".

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2020-11-11 03:00:00Z
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Selasa, 10 November 2020

Biden brands Trump's refusal to concede an 'embarrassment' - CNA

WILMINGTON: President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday (Nov 10) called President Donald Trump's refusal to concede his election loss an "embarrassment" but dismissed the standoff as unimportant.

"I just think it's an embarrassment, quite frankly," Biden said when asked what he thinks about Trump's refusal to acknowledge defeat in the Nov 3 election.

READ: Biden tells world leaders 'America is back' but Pompeo digs in

READ: Trump says 'election is far from over', campaign will challenge results in court

"How can I say this tactfully? I think it will not help the president's legacy," Biden told reporters in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

A week after the US election, Trump remained shut up in the White House, pushing an alternate reality that he is about to win and filing lawsuits alleging voter fraud that so far have been backed up by only the flimsiest evidence.

Biden, meanwhile, mostly ignored Trump.

"The fact that they're not willing to acknowledge we won at this point is not of much consequence in our planning," Biden said.

The Democrat signaled that despite attempts by Trump to stymie his transition to power he was increasingly a president in waiting.

In his latest exchanges with international leaders, he talked Tuesday with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ireland's prime minister, Micheal Martin.

Asked what his message to them was, he said: "I'm letting them know that America is back. We're going to be back in the game. It's not America alone."

INTRANSIGENCE

Trump's attempt to hold on to power has become all-consuming for the man who often makes a point of publicly mocking rivals as "losers."

"WE WILL WIN!" the Republican president tweeted early Tuesday, referring to his so far unsuccessful lawsuits. "WATCH FOR MASSIVE BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE."

READ: As Trump challenges Biden victory, attorney-general gives go ahead for fraud probes

Emphasising the atmosphere of intransigence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a testy news conference that he was preparing for "a smooth transition to a second Trump administration".

Since Election Day, Trump has made few public appearances and seems to have all but shelved normal presidential duties.

His only known activities outside the White House have been to play golf twice over the weekend, after the results came in.

Normally routine secret presidential intelligence briefings have been off the daily schedule. He has made no mention of the dramatic rebound in the COVID-19 pandemic across the country.

And his once near-daily press conferences, interviews with Fox News or impromptu question-and-answer sessions with White House journalists have dried up.

In place of that, Trump has spent much of his time tweeting, mostly about what he claims is the stolen election.

Trump's only significant presidential action has been the abrupt firing of defense secretary Mark Esper on Monday, which he announced on Twitter.

TRANSITION BLOCKED

Exactly four years ago Tuesday, Trump had just scored his surprise victory against Hillary Clinton and toured the White House for the first time as a guest of Barack Obama.

That courtesy to a presidents-elect is an old tradition, highlighting the nation's near sacred respect for the peaceful transfer of power.

Trump has not only failed to invite Biden for a chat in the Oval Office, he is blocking the Democrat from access to facilities, funding and expertise that usually come in a ready made package to help the incoming leader.

READ: Refusing to concede, Trump blocks cooperation on transition

Release of this transition aid is controlled by the General Services Administration head Emily Murphy, who was appointed by Trump.

Biden, who won with a record number of votes but acknowledges that nearly half the electorate nevertheless backed Trump, is avoiding a fight.

He said Tuesday that he did not favor taking legal action to force Trump into complying and said with a smile: "Mr President, I look forward to speaking with you."

Biden has set up a coronavirus task force, is vetting potential cabinet members and on Tuesday delivering his latest policy speech -- this time on the fate of the Obamacare health care plan which Trump wants the Supreme Court to dismantle.

The latest major foreign leader to reach out with congratulations, ignoring Trump's claim that he won last Tuesday, was Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who referred to Biden's "election success."

REPUBLICANS BACK TRUMP

Washington is buzzing with speculation over who, if anyone, in Trump's inner circle will finally persuade him to go.

Former President George W. Bush, the only living Republican ex-president, congratulated Biden on his victory, but he is an outlier in a party dominated by the still hugely popular Trump.

READ: Corporate America says it is ready to work with Biden

On Monday, the Republican leader in Congress, Senator Mitch McConnell, said Trump was "100 per cent within his rights" to challenge the election in court.

None of the lawsuits appears to have the potential to change the result of votes and even a planned recount of Biden's paper-thin victory in Georgia, or anywhere else, would be unlikely to change the fundamental math.

But Trump added a potential new weapon to his crusade against the results on Monday when his attorney general, Bill Barr, agreed to authorise probes into "specific allegations" of fraud.

Barr added a caveat that "specious, speculative, fanciful or far-fetched claims should not be a basis for initiating federal inquiries."

However, Barr's unusual intervention in the dispute prompted worries that Trump will go even further in his efforts. The Justice Department's top election crimes prosecutor, Richard Pilger, resigned in protest.

Biden's inauguration is on Jan 20.

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2020-11-10 23:48:14Z
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