European stock markets slid at the start of trading on Wednesday on US election uncertainty as President Donald Trump said he will go to the Supreme Court to dispute the vote count.
London's benchmark FTSE 100 index dropped 0.5% to 5 757.23 points, while the pound slumped more than one percent against the dollar.
In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 index shed 1.7% to 11 878.88 points and the Paris CAC 40 lost 1.0% to 4 760.07.
Milan tumbled 1.5% and Madrid plunged 2.0%.
The euro was down around half a percent versus the dollar, while oil prices steadied.
"The US election has become a mess," noted Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at Avatrade.
"Basically, we are seeing a nightmare situation come true because now we are talking about legal battles. This uncertainty is going to keep traders on edge."