It isn’t just the United States watching the election with bated breath â the world watched closely as the results came in. Now many people around the globe are chiming in on Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ historic nomination.
Much has already been written on the nominee’s background as a Black woman, and her identity as the daughter of immigrants â with a mother from India and a father from Jamaica.
The international community reacted to the news of Oakland-born and Berkeley-raised Harris as the Vice President-elect with messages of hope from different parts of the world.
âI’m happy to see that she is someone who has a long career, has the experience, has the qualifications,â said Pacinthe Mattar, an Egyptian woman who immigrated to Canada in the 1980s, âBut at the same time, sometimes I think our obsession over representation when we don’t see ourselves often in news or media or politics can make us blind to ⦠what kind of work they’re going to be doing and what systems they’re going to uphold.â
Mattar said she’s cheering Harris while also hoping “that her politics and her policies and the way that she helps lead the U.S. is going to be, not just a win for representation, but for the impact that it’s going to have on Black women and the lives of peoples of color in the work that she does.â
Congratulations came in from other Canadians as well, some touting the fact that she is also the first graduate of Westmount High School in Montreal to be elected as vice president.
Congratulations, @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. Our two countries are close friends, partners, and allies. We share a relationship thatâs unique on the world stage. Iâm really looking forward to working together and building on that with you both.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 7, 2020
In India, officials, as well as Bollywood stars, took to social media to post congratulatory messages.
Villagers in her ancestral home in Tamil Nadu sent congratulatory messages, set off firecrackers, carried placards and offered prayers after they awoke Sunday morning to the news.
Groups gathered at street corners in Thulasendrapuram, a village of 350 people, reading newspapers and chatting about the victory before moving to a temple according to the Associated Press.
A woman wrote outside her home: âCongratulations Kamala Harris. Pride of our village. Vanakkam (Greetings) America.â
Kamala Harris' ancestral village erupts in celebration #KamalaHarris #KamalaHarrisVP pic.twitter.com/YlqTQqzND4
— Poornima Murali (@nimumurali) November 8, 2020
And Harris’ uncle, Gopalan Balachandran, told The Washington Post: âThis is a big moment, no question about it,â he said. âItâs good for the United States. Itâs good for many people.â
Heartiest congratulations @KamalaHarris! Your 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.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 7, 2020
In Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness expressed support and pride in Harris’ Jamaican heritage.
(1/2) I extend congratulations to the President-elect and Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
America will have its first female Vice President in the person of Kamala Harris, and we are proud that she bears Jamaican heritage. pic.twitter.com/1Ovte7F2YP
— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) November 7, 2020
Additional messages came in from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and elsewhere congratulating President-elect Joe Biden as well as VP-elect Harris.
While much of the positivity focused on Harris, some of the strength of the reaction may have been fueled by perceptions of Trump, said NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel.
“As the results came through tonight, people were reacting like the United States had overthrown a dictator,â he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright 2020 KQED