Election observer mission slams Trump's behaviour

A European election observer mission has criticised US President Donald Trump after he claimed an early victory and made unsubstantiated allegation of electoral fraud.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said there was still no evidence of fraud in Tuesday’s vote.

"On several occasions, President Trump created an impression of refusing to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, claiming that the electoral process was systematically rigged, particularly in relation to postal voting, without presenting any substantial evidence of systematic malfeasance and contradicting election officials at all levels. Such statements by an incumbent president weaken public confidence in state institutions and were perceived by many as increasing the potential for politically motivated violence after the elections," OSCE said in a preliminary report on the election.

The report also noted that his statements during the campaign were perceived as increasing the potential to instigate politically-motivated violence after the elections.

“Such statements by an incumbent president weaken public confidence in state institutions,” it added.

However, the international observer group also noted that news channels frequently criticised Trump while his opponent, Joe Biden, was covered in a neutral tone.

"In the context of the presidential campaign, television channels frequently criticised President Trump, while Vice President Biden was largely covered in a neutral tone. President Trump claimed that the media was biased against his campaign. The cable networks were mostly relying on reporting opinions at the expense of balanced coverage," it said.

So far, Biden has multiple paths to victory with his 264 electoral votes -- including Michigan and Wisconsin -- compared to 214 for President Donald Trump, who would need to take all the remaining states.

In order to win, 270 electoral votes are required.

As it stands, there are five states still left uncalled, including major prizes such as Pennsylvania and key small state Nevada, as well as Georgia, North Carolina and Alaska.