There had never been any doubt that if the outside world had been eligible to vote in the US presidential election, Mr Obama's victory would have been virtually absolute. But electoral etiquette prevented foreign leaders from getting caught up in the fever until the ballots were in and it became clear that the young Illinois senator had sold his message of change to voters back home.
European nations applauded Mr Obama's victory and expressed hope that it would lead to a “new deal” and energise relations still strained after the US-led invasion of Iraq five years ago and eight years of the Bush Administration.