BANGKOK: As US citizens head to the polls in today's hotly contested presidential election, an unlikely forecaster has thrown her hat into the ring. Moo Deng, Thailand's beloved baby pygmy hippopotamus, has indicated Donald Trump as her pick for victory.
The Nov 5 contest between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris has drawn international attention, with forecasters and pollsters offering varying predictions for the outcome.
Allan Lichtman, a history professor at the American University in Washington, DC, known for his accurate election forecasting record, maintained his early September prediction of a Harris victory. However, recent polling data suggests a much tighter race.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week showed Harris holding a razor-thin lead of just one percentage point over Trump, with 44% to 43% respectively, highlighting the intensely competitive nature of the campaign's final stretch.
Adding to the mix of predictions, Facebook page "Pork Legs & the Gang" featured Moo Deng making her selection.
In a video filmed on Monday at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Moo Deng was shown eating a cake that spelled out Trump’s name.
However, the larger hippo in Moo Deng’s enclosure munched down on a watermelon carved with Harris’s name.
As polling stations across the US open their doors, the world watches to see whether this Thai pygmy hippo's unconventional forecast will prove accurate in what has become one of the most closely-watched US presidential elections in recent history. - The Nation/ANN
