US election 2020: Wishes pour in as Joe Biden wins presidency
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
After a long and tense wait, it is finally clear that Democratic Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States. The results came out after it was declared by various US media houses that Biden has claimed the decisive state of Pennsylvania. Later, Biden secured victory in the state of Nevada too, stretching his electoral count to 290, which is 19 more than the mandatory 271.
Meanwhile, wishes from several prominent leaders poured in for the former vice president and the next Vice President Kamala Harris.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau was one of the first leaders to congratulate Biden on his victory, saying he "really looks forward to working together".
Indian Prime Minister also wished both Biden and Harris via Twitter, saying he looks "forward to working closely together" to take bilateral relations to "greater heights".
He also wished Harris saying her "success is pathbreaking, and a matter of immense pride not just for your chittis, but also for all Indian-Americans."
"I am confident that the vibrant India-US ties will get even stronger with your support and leadership".
Director-General of the World Health Organization, who has been in cross-hairs with Donald Trump over the issue of the coronavirus pandemic, also tweeted in support of Biden saying, "Congratulations to President-elect@JoeBiden& Vice President-Elect @KamalaHarris! My@WHOcolleagues and I look forward to working with you and your teams. Crises like the #COVID19 pandemic show the importance of global solidarity in protecting lives and livelihoods. Together!"
The Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, too, took to Twitter to congratulate the Democrat duo.
"I wish@JoeBidena successful tenure and look forward to working with him to further strengthen India-US relations," he tweeted.
Hillary Clinton, who ran for the presidency in 2016 against Trump, also congratulated Biden and Harris.
"It's a history-making ticket, a repudiation of Trump, and a new page for America," Clinton wrote on Twitter.
"Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. Onward, together."
Indian leaders were also not behind in wishing Biden as senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor.
"I'm confident that he will unite America and provide it with a strong sense of direction," Gandhi in a tweet said.
Ireland Prime Minister Taoiseach Micheál Martin described Biden as "a true friend to this nation" in his congratulatory message.
UK's top opposition leader Keir Starmer said the president-elect had run a campaign on "the values that we in the United Kingdom share - decency, integrity, compassion and strength".
Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan, too, congratulated Joe Biden and said he looks"forward to President-Elect Biden's Global Summit on Democracy & working with him to end illegal tax havens & stealth of nation's wealth by corrupt ldrs."
The tech giant Bill Gates also joined in and sent his wishes to the President-elect and the Vice president-elect. He also thanked the various campaign employees and volunteers who helped Americans to register and vote. "Congratulations to President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris. Thank you to the election officials and campaign workers who worked tirelessly to ensure a record number of Americans could cast a ballot and have it counted during such a challenging time for our country," he tweeted.
Tibetan spiritual guru Dalai Lama wrote a letter to the President-elect appreciating America's value of democracy and said, "Humanity places great hope in the democratic vision and leadership of the US as leader of the free world. Particularly in these challenging times, I hope you will be able to contribute to shaping a more peaceful world in which people suffering poverty and injustice find relief."
Further, he thanked Biden for"support for the Tibetan people, during your time in Congress and the previous administration, as well as for your statement in September this year. It has been the Tibetan people`s good fortune to have received the friendship and encouragement of the American people and their respective Presidents in our endeavor to protect and preserve our ancient Buddhist culture -- a culture of peace, non-violence and compassion -- that has great potential to benefit humanity as a whole," he said.
TheNobel Peace Laureate also appreciated Biden's choice of Vice President-elect saying, "May I also commend you for your choice of a woman, Kamala Harris, to be your Vice President."