The Reform Party founded by Mr Ross Perot threatened to split into rival factions as it began its convention to choose its presidential candidate. A large force of police are standing by at the convention site in Long Beach, California, to intervene if necessary and separate the factions which have clashed at previous meetings.
Former Republican Party candidate, Mr Pat Buchanan, who defected to the Reform Party last year, is the favourite but he is being strongly opposed by former supporters of Mr Perot who accuse him of fraud during the party primaries.
Mr Perot has taken virtually no part in the party's activities since he ran in the 1996 election and received less than 10 per cent of the vote. But this result and the 19 per cent he received in the 1992 election entitles the party to $12.5 million in federal funding in this year's election.
Mr Buchanan says is confident he will be nominated. The anti-Buchanan faction is preparing to take legal action to block the funds being handed over until the matter is decided by the courts. This faction is backing a nuclear physicist, Mr John Hagelin, for the nomination. He is also a member of the Natural Law Party and has run in previous elections as a little-noticed candidate.
The former chairman of the party, Mr Russ Verney, who now supports Mr Hagelin, has accused Mr Buchanan and his campaign manager, Ms Bay Buchanan, of trying "to take over control through some predatory tactics". He claims that they have "stuffed the ballot box with 500,000 names".
Under the party system, the presidential candidate is chosen by direct ballot of members and even non-members by mail and e-mail. But a candidate chosen this way can still be overturned in favour of another by a vote of two-thirds of the delegates. Ms Buchanan, sister of Pat, says if all 596 delegates show up, 70 per cent would support her brother.
The latest upheaval in the party began when the party's executive committee voted to remove Mr Buchanan's name from the ballot, accusing him of fraudulent practice. But Mr Buchanan was able to overthrow that decision at a meeting of the larger national committee which his supporters control.
Opponents of Mr Buchanan accuse him of moving the party from its original emphasis on campaign finance reform, trade and the economy to conform to his personal stance against abortion and gay rights and a more isolationist position in international affairs.
Opinion polls show Mr Buchanan as having only 1 per cent support nationwide and with no chance of affecting the outcome of the election.