Republican George W Bush`s official lead in Florida`s presidential election shrunk to under 500 votes early on Sunday, hours away from a deadline for amended returns in the November 7 vote.

Broward County, one of three predominantly Democratic Florida counties which launched into manual recounts of 1.7 million votes after the neck-and-neck finish between Bush and Democrat Al Gore nearly three weeks ago, finished tallying at midnight on Saturday and reported an extra 567 votes for the vice president. The Florida Supreme Court, which gave the counties the green light last week to go ahead with the hand recounts against the strenuous objections of the Bush campaign, set a deadline of 5 pm (2200 GMT) on Sunday for the returns to be submitted. Bush could have his 930-vote lead, and therefore his grasp on the White House, restored however if the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington rules in favour of a Republican lawsuit seeking to block acceptance of the hand recount tallies.

The Bush campaign has argued that the hand recounts are arbitrary and unfair, but the Gore campaign -- knowing that the recounts would narrow and possible erase Bush`s lead -- have argued that they are essential to register votes missed by vote-counting machines.

Gore aides have said that because of the plan to challenge the Miami-Dade outcome, and possibly that of Palm Beach, the vice president will not concede on Sunday even if Florida announces a final result favouring putting Bush in the lead.
In Palm Beach County, the electoral panel was near the end of a recount of a total of 462,000 ballots. It had counted about 1,900 of its batch of disputed ballots, leaving more than 8,000 to be counted before the Sunday deadline.
"We`re going to get it done," said Carol Roberts, one of the three members of the Palm Beach County electoral panel during a smoke break on Saturday. She said she was willing to work all night if necessary. But arithmetic was against the commission.


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In Palm Beach County, the electoral panel was near the end of a recount of a total of 462,000 ballots. It had counted about 1,900 of its batch of disputed ballots, leaving more than 8,000 to be counted before the Sunday deadline.
"We`re going to get it done," said Carol Roberts, one of the three members of the Palm Beach County electoral panel during a smoke break on Saturday. She said she was willing to work all night if necessary. But arithmetic was against the commission.

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Middle East bloodshed continues
EU, U.S. dispute wrecks global climate talks
Germany calls for fast EU-wide madcow testing
Defiant Milosevic storms back to centre stage
Unresolved conflicts cloud EU-Balkans summit
Several people reported dead in Azeri quake
Philippines split over Estrada impeachment
Secret plan shows Jakarta woos Irian Jaya
Bosnian refugee returns still a trickle
In Palm Beach County, the electoral panel was near the end of a recount of a total of 462,000 ballots. It had counted about 1,900 of its batch of disputed ballots, leaving more than 8,000 to be counted before the Sunday deadline.
"We`re going to get it done," said Carol Roberts, one of the three members of the Palm Beach County electoral panel during a smoke break on Saturday. She said she was willing to work all night if necessary. But arithmetic was against the commission.


Middle East bloodshed continues
EU, U.S. dispute wrecks global climate talks
Germany calls for fast EU-wide madcow testing
Defiant Milosevic storms back to centre stage
Unresolved conflicts cloud EU-Balkans summit
Several people reported dead in Azeri quake
Philippines split over Estrada impeachment
Secret plan shows Jakarta woos Irian Jaya
Bosnian refugee returns still a trickle
In Palm Beach County, the electoral panel was near the end of a recount of a total of 462,000 ballots. It had counted about 1,900 of its batch of disputed ballots, leaving more than 8,000 to be counted before the Sunday deadline.
"We`re going to get it done," said Carol Roberts, one of the three members of the Palm Beach County electoral panel during a smoke break on Saturday. She said she was willing to work all night if necessary. But arithmetic was against the commission.


Middle East bloodshed continues
EU, U.S. dispute wrecks global climate talks
Germany calls for fast EU-wide madcow testing
Defiant Milosevic storms back to centre stage
Unresolved conflicts cloud EU-Balkans summit
Several people reported dead in Azeri quake
Philippines split over Estrada impeachment
Secret plan shows Jakarta woos Irian Jaya
Bosnian refugee returns still a trickle In Palm Beach County, the electoral panel was near the end of a recount of a total of 462,000 ballots. It had counted about 1,900 of its batch of disputed ballots, leaving more than 8,000 to be counted before the Sunday deadline.

"We`re going to get it done," said Carol Roberts, one of the three members of the Palm Beach County electoral panel during a smoke break on Saturday. She said she was willing to work all night if necessary. But arithmetic was against the commission.

Bureau Report