Leaders from around the world have reacted on Saturday to the triumph of Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, as president and vice president-elect of the United States, although the current president, Donald Trump, has not admitted defeat.
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The news of the victory of the former vice president, who this Saturday surpassed the 270 electoral votes of the Ectoral College after adding the 20 votes of Pennsylvania, brought a generalized relief in the capitals of the world.
Residents of the northwestern city of Ballina read the newspaper, the ancestral home of President-elect Joe Biden, on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. AP / Peter Morrison
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had a strained relationship with Trump, was one of the first world leaders to issue a statement congratulating Biden and his running mate.
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"Our two countries are close friends, partners and allies. We share a relationship that is unique on the world stage," Trudeau wrote shortly after the news of Biden's triumph in Pennsylvania broke.
"I really want to work together and build on that with the two of you."
Messages of congratulations have also been added in Latin America.
"I congratulate the American people for the record turnout in the elections, a clear expression of the popular will," wrote Argentine President Alberto Fernández.
"We will work together to strengthen the common agenda on trade, environment, security and the fight against transnational crime," wrote Colombian President Iván Duque.
The Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has not sent any message since he is traveling.
In Europe, congratulations were not lacking.
"The EU and the US are friends and allies, our citizens share the deepest of ties. I look forward to working with President-elect Biden," wrote the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
"Congratulations to Joe Biden on his election as President of the United States and to Kamala Harris for his historic achievement," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on his Twitter account.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, joined in the congratulations, as well as the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez.
So did Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"We want to invest in our cooperation for a new transatlantic start, a new deal," added German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
Relations with NATO, and in particular with Germany, were strained under the Trump administration, so the new leader is warmly received by many in the military alliance.
Trump publicly criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel.
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Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo expressed hope that the Democrat would quickly get to work on an issue that was not vital in the White House for the past four years: the fight against climate change.
"Welcome back America!"
Hidalgo tweeted.
"Now that we celebrate 5 years of the Paris Agreement, this victory is a beautiful symbol for us to act together more than ever before the climate emergency
,
" he
added.
The policy referenced the Paris Agreement from which Trump withdrew.
In Rome, people gathered in a cafeteria erupted in celebrations when the media broke the news.
A Berlin city official said: "After the birth of my son, the election of Joe Biden is by far the best news of this year."
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio closed his congratulatory message by tweeting the flags of Italy and the United States.
"Ready to continue working to make our relations ever stronger in defense of peace and freedom," he wrote on his Twitter account.
The election of Kamala Harris, the first black woman of South Asian descent as vice president, also had an immediate echo.
"We are proud that the first woman to hold the vice presidency of the United States has her roots in India,"
said Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Indian Congress party.
"It will be an incredible example and an important role model for young women around the world, showing them that girls and boys enjoy the same rights and opportunities," said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow will work with any US leader, but Biden's victory will be negative for Russia, Moscow-based political analyst Vladimir Frolov said ahead of the elections.
Biden called Russia the biggest threat to US national security last month, an assessment the Kremlin said encouraged hatred of Russia.
He has also promised that Russia would pay a financial price if it interfered in the elections.
"Moscow is paying a lot of attention to this and it doesn't like what it sees," Frolov said.
With information from AP and NBC News.