The recount of the closest U.S. Senate race in Minnesota history will be directed by a freshman elections chief -- a liberal DFLer who won election two years ago after accusing his Republican predecessor of bringing partisan bias to her official duties.

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie pledges to oversee a fair, accurate and open recount of the nearly 2.9 million ballots in the Senate race.

"Minnesotans have an expectation of a nonpartisan election recount," Ritchie said late last week.

Yet a fight with partisan overtones is shaping up over the recount of the race between U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, a Republican, and Democrat Al Franken.

On Friday, the Coleman campaign questioned the integrity of the vote counting by citing "improbable shifts" in vote tallies that it said benefited Franken.

Ritchie responded by scolding the Coleman campaign for trying "to create a cloud" over the recount and "denigrating the election process."

Republicans indicate they will be watching Ritchie closely.

"A recount of this magnitude is absolutely huge and it's going to define his time in office," said Rep. Laura Brod, R-New Prague, a critic of Ritchie. "The eyes are going to be very heavy on that office and on Secretary Ritchie."

Ritchie acknowledged that his office will face pressure over the next few weeks, but pledged to resist it.

"People who are the most active have a kind of bias to want to get [results] fast," he said of the recount. "Election administrators have a bias for wanting it correct, transparent and trusted. We know there will be pressure for fast, faster, get it done. We will not be swayed by those demands."

A recount requires ballot verification by precinct in each county and allows the public and representatives of the candidates to watch. Disputes over contested ballots go to the state canvassing board, made up of two state Supreme Court justices, two district court judges and chaired by the secretary of state.