The U.S. presidential election hung in the balance Wednesday after the decisive ballot count in Florida proved so close that a recount was ordered, in line with state law.
Earlier in the day media networks had announced that Texas Gov. George W. Bush had won the state, giving him overall victory in the closest U.S. presidential election in decades, but Vice President Al Gore challenged the result after learning the Florida vote was too close to call.
A Republican leader in Florida said a recount in the state will likely take place on Wednesday but added he is not sure if the result will be announced by the end of the day.
After initial declarations of a Bush victory following his apparent win in Florida, Gore's campaign chairman William Daley appeared before supporters of the vice president in Nashville, Tennessee, to question the validity of the Florida count.