© AP
The primaries on Tuesday in the American state of Michigan did not lead to any surprises. Among the Republicans, Donald Trump wins with 68 percent of the votes. His only rival Nikki Haley was stuck at almost 27 percent.
Source: BELGA
Today at 07:39
On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden won comfortably: after the polls closed, he had a predicted 81 percent of the votes. On the Republican side, former President Donald Trump won a large majority with 68 percent.
While Trump still has some serious opposition for his party’s presidential nomination in Nikki Haley, who received just over a quarter of the votes, Biden has hardly any competition. Figures such as the writer Marianne Williamson (3 percent) and Dean Phillips (3 percent), a relatively unknown member of the House of Representatives, attract protest votes at most.
Protest against support for Israel
Still, the Democratic primary in Michigan, where many voters have an Arab background, was closely watched. American Muslim organizations and progressive groups had called for a blank vote in protest against Biden’s unconditional support for Israel. Only 16 percent of Democratic voters did so, which will be seen as a victory in Biden’s camp.
Michigan has a population of just over 10 million and has almost always voted Democratic with a small majority in presidential elections since 1992. Only in 2016 did Trump receive slightly more votes than his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.
