Biden’s Victory: Those Who Congratulated and Those Who Didn’t

Joe Biden has won the 2020 U.S. presidential election, but his rival Donald Trump refuses to accept his defeat. Can world leaders congratulate Biden now? The responses from many world leaders speak volumes.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in his congratulatory message to the winner of the U.S. presidential election, referred to the global importance of these election results and said that Biden’s presidency has inspired “countless people (…) hope for assurance and stability, rationality and steadfastness in efforts to solve the problems of a turbulent world”.

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, also congratulated Joe Biden on his victory. Merkel said in a Twitter message: “I sincerely wish him happiness and success, and I also congratulate Kamala Harris, as his elected vice president.”

Merkel emphasized: “If we are to overcome the great challenges of our time, then there is no substitute for our transatlantic friendship.”

Heiko Maas, German Foreign Minister, expressed hope that following Joe Biden’s victory, transatlantic relations would improve. He said: “We will be pleased to work with the next American administration.” He wrote in a Twitter message: “We want to invest in our cooperation, aiming for a transatlantic beginning, for a new interaction.”

Hopes for NATO

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, expressed hope that with Biden’s victory, relations between North America and Europe would improve. He said: “The importance of U.S. leadership in an increasingly unpredictable world is felt more than ever.”

Stoltenberg added that a strong NATO is desirable for both North America and Europe. In his view, Trump questioned the military alliance, but Biden is fully supportive of it.

Emphasis on Shared American and European Values

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, wrote in a message on this occasion that the European Union and the United States had built an unprecedented alliance in the past, which was based on the values of democracy, freedom, human rights, social justice, and an open economy.

Von der Leyen wrote: “As the world transforms itself and faces challenges and opportunities, rebuilding our alliance is of particular importance.”

Vote on the Timing of the Message

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, addressed the matter with a more cautious statement, noting that first and foremost the results of the American elections should be confirmed. He nonetheless congratulated Joe Biden and his future deputy Kamala Harris.

Based on information leaked from European Union circles, it appears that among EU members there was a vote on what time would be more appropriate for sending a congratulatory message. At 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, Central European Time, the decision was finally made; this was an hour and a half after Biden’s votes were so far ahead that Trump could no longer catch up.

Michael Martin, Prime Minister of Ireland, was one of the first to send a congratulatory message to Biden. Referring to the Irish heritage of Biden’s family, he wrote: “Ireland is proud of the election of Joe Biden.”

Congratulatory messages were also sent by leaders of Italy, Spain, and Greece to the President-elect of the United States.

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, who had repeatedly incurred Donald Trump’s wrath, was one of the first leaders to send a congratulatory message to Biden.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, praised Biden on Twitter as a “great friend of Israel” and said he is pleased that “the special alliance between the United States and Israel will be further strengthened.” Trump clearly took Israel’s side in the Middle East conflict, particularly by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Indians celebrated with joy upon the announcement of the results of the U.S. presidential election and Biden’s victory; especially because the future U.S. Vice President, Kamala Harris, has Indian heritage. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, wrote on Twitter that Harris is a source of “great pride”.

A Trump Supporter Congratulates Biden

Viktor Orbán, right-wing and nationalist Prime Minister of Hungary, sent a message to Joe Biden congratulating him on his success in the presidential election. Orbán’s spokesman, in announcing this news, said that the head of the Hungarian government sent a letter to Joe Biden and wished him “good health and success in overcoming the very serious challenges ahead.”

Viktor Orbán had previously been a supporter of Donald Trump. Last Friday in a radio interview, he confirmed Trump’s claims about election fraud in the United States and, in support of Trump, told a journalist, imagine such fraud occurred in Europe, what a scandal it would cause.

A Congratulatory Message to Be Sent Later

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President of Mexico, said he is currently refraining from sending a congratulatory message for Joe Biden’s success. He said he will send congratulations once all legal processes related to voting in the United States are completed.

According to Reuters, Obrador said this approach “is politically wise.” He simultaneously emphasized that he has good relations with both Trump and Biden.

Turkey: Nothing Will Change

In Turkey, it was his deputy rather than the president who announced the position. According to the French news agency, Fuat Oktay on Sunday, November 8, in a television interview with Turkish Channel 7 regarding Joe Biden’s election, said: “From Turkey’s perspective, will anything change? No, nothing will change.”

Oktay praised the work of Donald Trump, U.S. President, and said that good relations have existed between him and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also sent a belated message congratulating Joe Biden on his victory. According to the Saudi Press Agency, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman congratulated Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris approximately 24 hours after the announcement of Biden’s victory.

While Brazil’s former president and socialist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his “relief” at Joe Biden’s election, the current president of the country, Jair Bolsonaro, has so far refrained from sending a congratulatory message. Bolsonaro, a right-wing populist, is considered a fervent supporter of Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, called Biden’s victory an opportunity for the United States to “correct past mistakes.” He said that the new American administration can now return to the path of upholding international commitments.

Russia and China’s leadership have remained silent, and as of the publication of this news report, responses from leaders of some countries such as North Korea are not yet available.

Source: DW