US Race Keeps Europe up Late

From London to Paris to Berlin, US expatriates packed into bars, restaurants and private parties to monitor results in the contest between incumbent Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry.

In Paris, Kerry captured the traditional straw poll held at Harry's New York Bar with 419 votes to 242 votes for Bush. The establishment was sardine-packed as the real vote results trickled in, with guests spilling out into the street. The US passport-carrying patrons of the bar -- a favorite with American expats -- have successfully chosen the winner of every presidential election since 1924, save in 1976 when they favored Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter.

"It's going to be Kerry for sure, for sure," said Patti Brown, a US businesswoman who has lived in Paris for 10 years who was enjoying the festive atmosphere at Harry's.

Elsewhere in the French capital, Democrats and Republicans Abroad staged a joint event at the Planet Hollywood restaurant on the famed Champs-Elysees, with gospel singers providing some of the late-night entertainment.

Berlin leaning towards Kerry

In Berlin, hundreds of people gathered on Potsdamer Platz, a square in the center of the reunited German capital, to await poll results. "I think it's important for the world to see we are not all idiots and do care about the decisions our country is making," said Adam Chalk, a musician from New York living in Berlin who was playing at the giant bash. "It would be a catastrophe if Bush wins again."

As the crowd took in the cheerleaders, chicken wings and California wine, the band struck up the Ray Charles classic "Hit the Road, Jack", substituting Bush's name. The raucous crowd of Germans and Americans shouted along. But not all Americans living in Berlin were backing the Democratic senator from Massachusetts.

A party across town near the main west Berlin train station sponsored by the US embassy attracted more than 1,000 people, including a sizeable contingent of Bush supporters, who partied to the tunes of a country-western band.

"I'm from the military and so of course I support Bush," said 21-year-old Marine Ryan Platfoot, who is from Ohio, a key "swing state" that could be decisive to the election's outcome. "Kerry keeps changing his opinion on everything," Platfoot added.

Brits double up on bets

In Britain, thousands of Americans and Britons crammed into about a dozen major parties to watch the first exit poll results from across the Atlantic on big-screen televisions. Despite the closeness of the contest at home, the majority of US citizens living in London expressed hope that Kerry would defeat Bush amid record voter turnouts.

"I love the United States, and I believe in the American dream. But they're ruining the reputation of the country in the rest of the world," said Adam Scott, a 25-year-old investment banker decked out in John Kerry garb. "It's part of history, this election," he told AFP from a table littered with blue party placards and beer bottles in a noisy central London bar.

Britons themselves have staked more than their personal feelings on this year's US presidential race. Some eight million pounds (€12 million, $15 million) have been placed in bets with British betting shops on both Kerry and Bush, double that seen in the last election, bookmakers said Tuesday.