US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SAYS "CAN'T TAKE DEMOCRACY FOR GRANTED ANY LONGER"

President Joe Biden has urged Americans to unite in opposition to "political violence" and cautioned that "we can't take democracy for granted any longer" just a week before the November 8 midterm elections in the United States.

"As I stand here today, there are candidates running for every level of office in America — for Governor, for Congress, for Attorney General, for Secretary of State who will not commit to accepting the results of the elections they're in," the President said in a televised address to the nation from Union Station in Washington, D.C.

"That is the path to chaos in America. It's unprecedented. It's unlawful. And it is un-American."

He accused his predecessor, whom he did not name but described to as "the defeated former President," of "cultivating a lie that has metastasized into a web of conspiracies that has already resulted in targeted violence," according to CNN.

He said: This intimidation and violence against Democrats, Republicans, and non-partisan officials simply performing their jobs is the result of lies told for power and profit, lies of conspiracy and malice, lies repeated over and over to create a cycle of rage, hate, vitriol, and even violence.

At this point, we must face those lies with the truth; our nation's entire destiny depends on it. Because the defeated former president... refuses to accept the will of the people, American democracy is under attack, Biden continued.

The President also made it clear that most Americans, including most Republicans, would not resort to violence, and that those who would wield tremendous influence.

"I believe the voices excusing or calling for violence and intimidation are a distinct minority in America," CNN quoted the President as saying. "But they're loud and they are determined."

Republicans argued in response to Biden's speech that he was attempting to divert Americans from his low approval ratings and the country's increasing inflation, according to the BBC.

Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Twitter: "President Biden is trying to divide and deflect at a time when America needs to unite - because he can't talk about his policies that have driven up the cost of living. The American people aren't buying it."

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week indicated that half of Americans believe voter fraud is a widespread problem, despite the fact that such occurrences are highly rare.

According to CBS News, 306 of the 595 Republicans running for state office have raised doubts about the 2020 election.

All 435 House of Representatives seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats will be open for election in the 2019 elections.

There will be 39 state and territorial gubernatorial elections, as well as several more state and local elections.

The outcome will decide the composition of the 118th United States Congress.

In the Senate, Democrats and Republicans were split 50:50, with Vice President Kamala Harris providing the Democrats with a tie-breaking vote.

Democrats have a thin majority of 220 seats in the House, while Republicans have 212, with three seats vacant.

Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are the 13 battleground states.