President-elect Obama says "change has come to America"
Voters, pundits and politicians across the US and the world give their reaction to Barack Obama's victory.
INTERNATIONAL REACTION:
Many world leaders have hailed Mr Obama's victory as a chance for a new chapter in their relations with the United States.
RUSSIA: Russian President, Dmitri Medvedev, said he hoped the new US administration would seek to improve relations with Russia:
Listen Listen to Dmitri Medvedev (18 secs)
IRAQ: The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, said Iraq looked forward to working with Mr Obama when he became president:
Listen Listen to Hoshyar Zebari (28 secs)
ISRAEL: The Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, tipped to become prime minister, predicted that Israel's relationship with Washington would improve:
Listen Listen to Tzipi Livni (36 secs)
PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: The Palestinian Deputy Foreign Minister, Ahmed Subeh, was optimistic about the impact on the peace process:
Listen Listen to Ahmed Subeh (10 secs)
In Gaza, a Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, said Mr Obama would be judged according to his actions:
Listen Listen to Fawzi Barhoum (30 secs)
THE ARAB LEAGUE: The head of the Arab League, Amr Musa, has welcomed Mr Obama's election victory saying the Middle East was now looking forward to a change in American policy:
Listen Listen to Amr Musa (25 secs)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai
AFGHANISTAN: The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, congratulated both the American people and Senator Obama on his victory:
Listen Listen to President Karzai (16 secs)
THE UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, congratulated Mr Obama and said he looked forward to working with him:
Listen Listen to Ban Ki Moon (35 secs)
EUROPEAN UNION: The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, sees Mr Obama's election as an opportunity for a new deal between America and Europe:
Listen Listen to Jose Manuel Barroso (33 secs)
UNITED KINGDOM: The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, gave his reaction to Senator Obama's triumph to a packed Parliament:
Listen Listen to Gordon Brown (33 secs)
FRANCE: The French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, gave his reaction to Senator Obama's victory to the BBC's Robin Lustig:
Listen Listen to Bernard Kouchner (2 min 4 secs)
GERMANY: The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said that Mr Obama's election would usher in a new era of international cooperation:
Listen Listen to Angela Merkel (19 secs)
SPAIN: Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, said his country shared the same priorities as the president-elect:
Listen Listen to Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (23 secs)
INDONESIA: The Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, recalled Mr Obama's early years in Indonesia and said that Mr Obama would be a force for good in the world:
Listen Listen to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (52 secs)
LIBERIA: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the president of Liberia, said she "applauds the American people" following the result. She also gave her view of what Africa can expect from an Obama presidency:
Listen Listen to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (2 mins 25 secs)
End of Section
US REACTION:
0730GMT: Jennifer Skalka, editor of the Hotline journal, explained that she believed John McCain was the best candidate the Republicans could have had in the circumstances - but added that she believed he did himself no favours with his choice of running-mate:
Listen Listen to Jennifer Skalka (30 secs)
0550GMT: Richard Schiff, who played the Democratic White House aide Toby Ziegler in the TV show The West Wing, said Barack Obama's win had restored his faith in America:
Listen Listen to Richard Schiff (3 mins 2 secs)
Richard Schiff appeared on the BBC's Talking America debate in LA
0545GMT: In Barack Obama's home city of Chicago, Ian Brimacombe spoke to Dave and Lou, two local residents who had attended the victory speech in Grant Park:
Listen Listen to Dave and Lou (2 mins 29 secs)
0530GMT: Mark Newman, a former White House official under Ronald Reagan, assessed the reasons for John McCain's defeat:
Listen Listen to Mark Newman (2 mins 45 secs)
0500GMT: Patrick Basham, director of the Democracy Institute, and Megan McArdle of the Asymmetrical Information blog discussed Obama's win in the context of American history:
Listen Listen to Patrick Basham and Megan McArdle (3 mins 11 secs)
End of Section
WORLD HAVE YOUR SAY REACTION:
"Our long national nightmare is finally over!" says Michael in Rapid City. Another Barack Obama supporter is Nick in Los Angeles, California - the state that helped finally push Obama over the line. "Finally the world can move forward, there is real hope for equality, prosperity and the environment; a great moment," he says.
There is reaction from overseas too - in St Petersburg, Mirela says: "This is a great day for American and the world. This is a new and great chapter in history." But Vijay is not so enthused. "Now Barack Obama has to prove that he was born in the USA, he will have to produce his birth certificate. This is bad news for the UK and bad news for the Commonwealth," he says. And Bob in Queensland has what he describes as a "sobering thought" - "If Bush hadn't been such a disaster, would America have elected Obama?"
For more reaction from World Have Your Say, click here.
First broadcast 5 November 2008
