Former judge Roy Moore said he was refusing to concede the Alabama senate race and has said it could be recounted.

In a speech to his supporters in Montgomery, he said the vote must be counted again if there is a 0.5% difference between him and the Democrat Doug Jones after all ballots are recorded. He insisted that votes were still still being counted.

“I really want to ask you tonight that with the vote as close as it is, we have to go by the rules,” he said. “We also know that God is in control.”

Earlier in the evening, Rich Hobson, a longtime associate of Mr Moore, told a stunned and used crowd at the event that it was too early to recognise Mr Jones victory, even though Donald Trump was among those to offer their praise to the Democrat. “Some people are calling it. We are not calling it,” said Mr Hobson.

Senate race sees Roy Moore up against Doug Jones in Alabama in tight race

It was not immediately clear why Mr Moore believes he has the option of a recount. A tally of the votes collated by the New York Times showed Mr Jones had won 671,151 votes to Mr Moore’s 650,436, giving the Democrat a 49.9-48.4 victory.

Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Show all 12 1 /12 Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Democratic senatorial candidate Doug Jones speaks to reporters after voting Getty Images Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Republican Senatorial candidate Roy Moore (L) and his wife Kayla ride their horses to the polling station to vote AFP/Getty Images Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones David Watson waves in a Santa suit as he holds a Doug Jones sign AP Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Republican Senatorial candidate Roy Moore speaks to the media as his wife Kayla (R) looks on AFP/Getty Images Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Democratic Alabama Senate candidate Doug Jones casts his vote at Brookwood Baptist Church REUTERS Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Roy Moore speaks to the media after he rode in on a horse to vote AP Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Democratic candidate Doug Jones greets supporters after casting his ballot AP Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore departs on horseback after he cast his ballot in Gallant REUTERS Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Voters wait in line to cast their ballot at a polling station setup in the St Thomas Episcopal Church Getty Images Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Democratic Senatorial candidate Doug Jones (L) greets voters outside of a polling station at the Bessemer Civic Center Getty Images Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Voters exit after casting their ballots at a polling station setup in the Fire Department Getty Images Alabama Senate race: Roy Moore vs Doug Jones Democratic Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones speaks with the media after casting his vote at Brookwood Baptist Church Reuters

He said that Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill would meet with reporters later in the evening to explain the process of enacting a recount.

“That is what we have to do - wait on God. The votes are still coming in. Let’s go and sleep on it.” he said.

Yet, Mr Merrill, in a statement to CNN, said: “The people of Alabama have spoken tonight. They’ve made their voice heard loud and clear.”

Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan aslo appeared to suggest that Mr Moore should recognise that he had lost.

“While we are deeply disappointed in the extremely close US Senate election results, with our candidate Judge Roy Moore, we respect the voting process given to us by our Founding Fathers,” he said in a statement.