To Colorado - US state of Maine excludes Trump from presidential primaries
Maine has now become the second US state to exclude former US President Donald Trump from the primary election for the White House. This was announced by the responsible department in Augusta on the short message service X, formerly Twitter.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who is also responsible for elections in her role, had come to the conclusion that the former president's primary election application was "invalid", according to a statement. According to a constitutional amendment, Trump is "not qualified to be president". According to this, people who have instigated a "rebellion" against the constitution are excluded from elections. Trump's campaign team announced its intention to take action against the decision.
It had not come to the conclusion lightly, explained Bellows. However, the events of January 6, 2021 had taken place "at the behest and with the knowledge and support" of the outgoing president. Bellows stated that the decision would be suspended in the event of a legal challenge.
Donald Trump will fight the decision
A spokesperson for Trump's campaign team announced that they would take legal action against the decision. Trump's campaign team described Bellows' decision as an "attempted theft of an election", among other things.
Trump received support from his fellow Republicans, including the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis - one of Trump's rivals in the Republican presidential race. "This opens Pandora's box," he said.
On December 19, the Supreme Court in Colorado ruled in a sensational decision that Trump would not be allowed to take part in his party's presidential primaries in the state because of his role in the Capitol storming. This decision also referred to the constitutional amendment, but it is not final. The court in Colorado put its decision on hold until January 4 to allow time for an appeal.
Similar proceedings are also threatened in other states
Proceedings have also been initiated in other states to have Trump excluded from the primaries. These were rejected in Michigan and Minnesota, while proceedings are still ongoing in Oregon.
Trump is the overwhelming favorite in the race for the Republican presidential nomination and leads the polls by a large margin. The Republican primaries begin on January 15 in the state of Iowa, while the primaries in Maine and Colorado are scheduled for March 5. The winner of the primary will run against incumbent Joe Biden of the Democratic Party in the presidential election on November 5, 2024.
Biden had defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Trump refused to acknowledge his defeat, however, and made widely refuted accusations of massive electoral fraud.
The right-wing populist's crusade against his election defeat culminated in an attack by radical Trump supporters on Congress, where Biden's election victory was to be finally confirmed on January 6, 2021. Shortly before the attack, Trump had called on his supporters to march to the Capitol and fight "come hell or high water".
The 77-year-old former president has now been charged twice for his attempts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election and thus hold on to power. One of the criminal proceedings was initiated by the federal judiciary, the other by the judiciary of the state of Georgia. The trials are expected to begin next year and thus in the middle of the election campaign.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
Source: www.stern.de
