Time Constraints Prevent Kremlin From Following US Electoral College Vote

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Kremlin will not follow the US Electoral College presidential vote due to a busy schedule, but will take note of the results, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

"I told you of [the president’s] schedule for today, did not follow [the vote] at all, there is no time. But of course, we shall take note of the news when they emerge," Peskov told reporters.

The US presidential election consists of a popular vote, held November 8, and an electoral vote, scheduled for Monday.

The US Electoral College, comprising 538 members, is set to meet in the capital cities of all 50 states to register their choices for president of the United States. For 192 years, the process has been a mere formality, while many states do not even have legislation that requires the electors to honor their votes for the candidates their states have chosen in the US presidential elections. But this year, the Electoral College may face its greatest test ever.

If 38 of the 306 electors supposed to vote for New York billionaire businessman Donald Trump can be persuaded to vote against him instead, the College will be deadlocked and the election will be thrown into the US House of Representatives. Should this happens, Trump could still be elected president if all the Republican members, who hold a majority in the House, vote for him. In case the Republican majority in the House of Representatives splits between different Republican candidates, while the Democrats remain united behind their candidate Hillary Clinton, she could still become president of the United States.

The results will be announced on January 6, while the new US president will take office on January 20.