No, China, America's messy election doesn't mean democracy fails

Voter accountability beats authoritarianism's fast decision-making in the end

The contentious U.S. presidential election should be an opportunity to demonstrate how democracy is still superior to authoritarianism, as practiced in China and elsewhere. (Source photos by Reuters)

HIROYUKI AKITA, Nikkei commentator

November 12, 2020 01:34 JST

TOKYO -- The 2020 U.S. presidential election should have ended with Joe Biden's declaration of victory. But incumbent Donald Trump has refused to concede and is mounting a legal challenge.

Although it is unlikely the election result will be overturned, the damage to trust in the U.S. electoral process has been done. Democracies in Asia and the rest of the world cannot dismiss what is happening in the U.S. as someone else's problem.