BERLIN (Reuters) – German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Friday urged both sides in the U.S. election to show restraint until the results were available, adding it was irresponsible to aggravate tensions.
“America is more than a one-man show. Anyone who continues to pour oil on the fire in a situation like this is acting irresponsibly,” Maas told Germany’s Funke media in unusually blunt language.
“Now is the time to keep a cool head until an independently determined result is available,” he added in some of his first comments on the situation.
Counting was continuing in the extremely close U.S. presidential election which hinges on razor-thin margins in a handful of states. Republican President Donald Trump has launched a flurry of lawsuits hoping to slow down his opponent, Democrat Joe Biden and tensions have risen in some places.
“In order for the result – which has not yet been determined – to be accepted, everyone must first show restraint,” Maas told Funke media.
“Decent losers are more important for the functioning of a democracy than radiant winners,” he added.
(Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
