<p>The head of an international observer mission to the US elections accused Donald Trump on Thursday of a "gross abuse of office" after the president alleged he was being cheated and demanded that vote counting be halted.</p>.<p>"The most disturbing thing was that with presidential fanfare of the White House, that is, with all the insignia of power, the American commander-in-chief called for an end to the count because of his purported victory," Michael Link from the told the German daily Stuttgarter Zeitung.</p>.<p>"That was a gross abuse of office," he said, adding that Trump's "claims of manipulation are baseless".</p>.<p>Link, who works for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, warned that Trump's repeated false allegations of fraud could have far-reaching consequences.</p>.<p>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/trump-challenges-counts-as-biden-inches-closer-to-victory-911547.html" target="_blank"><strong>Trump challenges counts as Biden inches closer to victory</strong></a></p>.<p>"The major concern is that the US will not be able put back into the bottle the genie that Trump has let out.</p>.<p>"Even if he were to admit defeat and hand over office properly, his supporters, incited by rhetoric, may see violence as a legitimate tool because they no longer feel democratically represented," said Link.</p>.<p>And that is "a danger that goes far beyond election day," added the mission chief of the OSCE, which monitors elections throughout Western nations and the former Soviet Union.</p>.<p>On Wednesday, the mission already released a statement saying that there was no basis to Trump's claims of cheating, and that Tuesday's vote was "competitive and well managed."</p>.<p>Trump, 74, has claimed victory unilaterally before counting in key battleground states has concluded.</p>.<p>He has also made clear he would not accept the reported results, issuing unprecedented complaints -- unsupported by any evidence -- of fraud.</p>
<p>The head of an international observer mission to the US elections accused Donald Trump on Thursday of a "gross abuse of office" after the president alleged he was being cheated and demanded that vote counting be halted.</p>.<p>"The most disturbing thing was that with presidential fanfare of the White House, that is, with all the insignia of power, the American commander-in-chief called for an end to the count because of his purported victory," Michael Link from the told the German daily Stuttgarter Zeitung.</p>.<p>"That was a gross abuse of office," he said, adding that Trump's "claims of manipulation are baseless".</p>.<p>Link, who works for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, warned that Trump's repeated false allegations of fraud could have far-reaching consequences.</p>.<p>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/trump-challenges-counts-as-biden-inches-closer-to-victory-911547.html" target="_blank"><strong>Trump challenges counts as Biden inches closer to victory</strong></a></p>.<p>"The major concern is that the US will not be able put back into the bottle the genie that Trump has let out.</p>.<p>"Even if he were to admit defeat and hand over office properly, his supporters, incited by rhetoric, may see violence as a legitimate tool because they no longer feel democratically represented," said Link.</p>.<p>And that is "a danger that goes far beyond election day," added the mission chief of the OSCE, which monitors elections throughout Western nations and the former Soviet Union.</p>.<p>On Wednesday, the mission already released a statement saying that there was no basis to Trump's claims of cheating, and that Tuesday's vote was "competitive and well managed."</p>.<p>Trump, 74, has claimed victory unilaterally before counting in key battleground states has concluded.</p>.<p>He has also made clear he would not accept the reported results, issuing unprecedented complaints -- unsupported by any evidence -- of fraud.</p>