From celebratory sandcastles to 'the stick we know': how the word saw it Reuters

China

For one Chinese citizen, following the US polls had a certain voyeuristic thrill. "For us, the US presidential election is the same as watching an [adult] movie," he wrote on the popular Sina Weibo microblog service, "we cannot participate, but we are willing to stare at it."

Like many in China, he seemed struck by the contrast with his country's own leadership transition, a process that formally begins with the opening of the 18th party congress . On the one hand, the handover is deeply mysterious, with the new elite selected behind the scenes by current leaders and party elders. On the other, it is inevitable: Xi Jinping has long been heir apparent to Hu Jintao. "The future Chinese leaders are confirmed, so we can only concern ourselves with the American election," wrote another user. That fact may explain the flurry of online reaction, with around 25m posts on the topic on Sina Weibo. A commentary published shortly before polls closed by the English edition of populist state-run newspaper the Global Times sought to pre-empt unflattering comparisons, arguing: "There's no perfect political system. However, China's current system is widely considered to be an effective one. The efficiency of this system is both outstanding and rare."

It added: "The election has just been about getting votes, and this is gradually becoming a popular political rule throughout the world. Politicians should try their best to please the voters and make various promises …

"The electoral system encourages populism. Parties and politicians are slowly turned into its captives … The outcome of carrying civil rights to their extreme is to maximize everyone's benefits."

China's foreign ministry said President Hu had congratulated Barack Obama on his re-election, and noted the "positive progress" in bilateral relations over the past four years. Spokesman Hong Lei said the premier, Wen Jiabao, had also sent congratulations, while state media reported that Xi Jinping, poised to take over as China's leader, had rung Joe Biden.

But a commentary from the state news agency, Xinhua, said mutual trust had been "whittled down" in Obama's first term, although there was now a new opportunity to improve ties.

"As the two countries have been ever more economically interwoven, a new US government perhaps should start to learn how to build a more rational and constructive relationship with China," it added.

While both candidates criticised China in debates, Mitt Romney was notably more aggressive. A commentary from state news agency Xinhua – published before polls closed – said it hoped the results would bring "a pause in the China-bashing game".

Tania Branigan in Beijing

Russia

The Kremlin was slow in extending its congratulations to Obama, waiting until after midday in Moscow, but it said the news was "very positively" received. The president, Vladimir Putin, sent Obama an official telegram, the contents of which were not disclosed, to mark Obama's re-election.

"In general the Kremlin received the news about Barack Obama's election victory very positively," said Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, the Interfax news agency reported. "We are hoping for a positive start to the two-sided relationship and co-operation between Russia and the USA."

There has been relatively little interest in the US elections in Russia, with a widespread belief that the outcome is unlikely to have much effect on relations between the two countries.

Russia's leading television channel, Perviy Kanal, showed a cooking programme during Obama's acceptance speech, which took place in the middle of the morning in Moscow. And reports about a drunken shooting spree in a Moscow warehouse that killed five people was ahead of the US elections at the top of many news bulletins through the day.

But the prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, was outspoken in his relief at Obama's victory over Romney, who described Russia, in a now infamous remark, as the US's "number-one geopolitical foe" during campaigning earlier this year.

"I am happy that the president of the biggest and most influential state in the world will not be a person who thinks Russia is the number-one enemy: that's paranoia," Interfax Medvedev. "Like America or not, but every Russian family is dependent on the state of the dollar."

Medvedev expressed his satisfaction on Twitter. "@BarackObama Congratulations!" he wrote.

Both officials and opposition politicians appeared pleased by Romney's defeat. Romney had advocated "the practical return to the foreign policies of President George Bush the younger," said Alexei Pushkov, the ruling United Russia party's chairman of the Duma's international affairs committee, RIA-Novosti reported.

And the former deputy energy minister and opposition activist Vladimir Milov wrote on Twitter that "the hope that Romney would have been tough with Putin was very naive … Romney and Putin would have been best of friends."

But not all commentators were welcoming. The head of the Kremlin-friendly Liberal Democrat party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, said Obama's re-election was the start of a "slow self-isolation" for the US and that it meant the country was "doomed to stagnation".

The US ambassador in Moscow, Michael McFaul, who is a close associate of Obama and a mastermind of his "reset" policy with Russia, said Obama was likely to visit Russia in 2013.

Howard Amos in Moscow

Iran

Iranian officials have long said there was little difference between the two candidates, but Obama's victory has reinforced hopes of a diplomatic solution to the stalemate over Tehran's nuclear programme. Direct talks with the US have officially been beyond the pale for Iranian officials since the two countries broke off diplomatic relations in 1979. But as Obama takes the mandate for a second term, senior figures are signalling that such negotiations are possible.

"Talks with the US are not taboo, nor forbidden," said Mohammd-Javad Larijani, the head of the human rights council in Iran's judiciary. "If it benefits us, we can hold talks with America even at the bottom of hell." But relations with the US would not be returning to normality overnight, warned Larijani's brother, Sadeq, the head of the judiciary (a third brother, Ali, is speaker of the parliament).

"Americans should not think they can hold our nation to ransom by coming to the negotiating table," Sadeq Larijani was quoted as saying by IRNA news agency.

"Four years ago, Obama … announced he would extend the hand of co-operation to Iran," he said. "But he pursued a different path and imposed unprecedented sanctions and it is natural the Iranian people will never forget such crimes."

As elections results came through, Iran's Fars news agency, which is affiliated to the powerful revolutionary guards, was among very few Iran-based media to liveblog the election developments. It later ran the headline "Republican's elephant crushed by Democrat's donkey".

Iran's English-language state television channel, Press TV, led its coverage with a story headlined "election irregularities reported by US voters".

Politicians who favour Obama avoided showing their support in public for fear of reprisals. However, many of them told the reformist Etemaad newspaper Obama would be a better choice for the future of Iran.

Saeed Kamali Dehghan

Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, there had been little interest in the election, probably because most people felt US policy towards their country was already broadly fixed, with a Nato-agreed deadline of 2014 for the withdrawal of most troops.

President Hamid Karzai and other officials, including the governor of Kandahar province, the Taliban's birthplace, sent congratulations to Obama on his re-election. Karzai, whose relationship with the US has often been stormy, said he hoped Obama's second term would allow greater co-operation between the two countries. The statement of congratulation said: "President Karzai also hopes that with the re-election of President Obama, the bilateral relations between Afghanistan and the United States could further expand on the basis of mutual interests of the two countries."

The Taliban, whom the US military have now been fighting for over a decade, were less welcoming. America should focus on its domestic challenges, and leave Afghanistan as soon as possible, they said in a statement after the election results were announced.

"Obama should take advantage of his second term, and use the opportunity to prevent the US from trying to police the world, and focus instead on solving the problems of Americans," the statement said.

"Obama has realised that Americans are tired of the war and the back-breaking costs of wars. Therefore he should withdraw the occupying forces from our country as soon as possible and prevent the death of more Americans.

Some members of Afghanistan's tiny tech-savvy elite were already looking ahead to their own presidential poll, set for 2014; there are widespread fears that the vote will be plagued by fraud and security problems, as the last two elections were.

Lotfullah Najafizada, head of current affairs at the influential Tolo TV channel, tweeted: "The US election is over – smooth and transparent. What lessons could be learned from it for new democracies such as Afghanistan?"

Emma Graham-Harrison in Kabul

Pakistan

The official reaction from the Pakistani diplomats was icily correct: "President Asif Ali Zardari has warmly felicitated President Barack Obama on his re-election as the president of the United States of America," said a statement issued by Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs. "The president expressed the hope that the relationship between Pakistan and the US would continue to prosper during President Obama's new term in office."

Obama's first term was marked by a severe deterioration of relations between Pakistan and the US, especially since the killing of Osama bin Laden by US special forces in a northern Pakistani town in May last year. Obama said repeatedly during the campaign that the killing of Bin Laden was a major victory for US counter-terrorism and a key achievement of his presidency, much to the irritation of many Pakistanis.Controversial drone strikes, which are deeply unpopular in much of Pakistan and a technical breach of the country's sovereignty, have also increased markedly under Obama. Credited with eliminating many other senior militants, these were also used to bolster the president's security record during the campaign. A series of other incidents has kept tensions raised between the two countries.In a BBC World Service pre-election opinion poll around the world, conducted between July and September, Pakistanis said they favoured Romney. Pakistan was the only country out of more than 20 sampled to do so. However, large numbers of people polled said they were indifferent to, or unaware of, the election.

The well-known commentator and editor Najam Sethi said: "There is some apprehension. There are fears of more drones, more demands, a sense that [Obama] was going to be bad for Pakistan. Pakistanis in general didn't like Obama and identified their anti-Americanism with him so were rooting for [Romney]."

Sethi said, however, there had been a difference between commentary in the popular Urdu media and the English-language media favoured by the elite.

"The more sensible, informed people recognise that perhaps Romney might have listened more to the Pentagon [and] the CIA, and been less sensitive to Pakistan's concerns in the endgame in Afghanistan," he told the Guardian.

Imran Khan, the cricketer-turned-conservative politician, told reporters Obama's first term in office had been "very tough on Pakistan", as the president's strategy in Afghanistan – where troop levels were temporarily increased – and emphasis on the use of drones had led to "increased militancy" in the country.

"Now he [Obama] is no longer under the pressure to be re-elected, we hope that he will give peace a chance, which we so desperately need," Khan said, while addressing a conference in india.

Some in Pakistan was please by the result, however. Zafar Moti, a stockbroker in Karachi, collected several bottles of 18-year-old whisky after winning bets with friends that Obama would be returned.

"Everybody was saying Romney is better for Pakistan, but I said they were wrong," he said. "He was much more likely to declare war on Iran, and that would have been a disaster for Pakistan and the Middle East. OK, Obama has been more stick than carrot with Pakistan, but at least it is a stick we know." Jason Burke

Middle East

Reaction in the Middle East to Obama's re-election has ranged from wariness to disappointment. Regional leaders and the Arab street were, at best, underwhelmed. There is no sense that the incumbent's second term offers the same sort of hope that his first did, four years ago. Obama's Cairo speech was a beacon on the hill that steadily dimmed throughout the past four years. With the region now in turmoil, few seem to believe the leader of the world's largest economy and most powerful military has the will to do much about the situation.Egypt's Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, expressed the hope that a second term would "strengthen friendship" between Washington and Cairo. Aside from that, reaction, at least initially, was largely mute.

In Saudi Arabia and Jordan, both US allies, there was no immediate official response. Lebanese leaders offered pro-forma congratulations, with the beleaguered prime minister, Najib Miqati, suggesting a second four years may give "new momentum" to stalled bids to bring peace.

In Syria, the opposition was more forthcoming. "Things will move after the election," said a senior leader of the military council, an exiled group of senior officers who have defected. "We have been waiting for this moment. Now you will see a difference."

Other rebel leaders inside Syria were less convinced. "We were hoping for Romney," one Aleppo commander told the Guardian. "At least he said he would do something different. With Obama it has been all words."

In Beirut, where the Syria crisis looms large, Romney's less strident regional stance as the poll drew near was noticed. "He started by saying he would send weapons to the opposition and by the end he was singing the same tune as Obama," said Mahmoud Diab, a banker. "He seemed not to know what the real situation was, or how to deal with it."

Obama won praise in some parts of the region early last year when he swung his weight behind street protesters in Cairo, publicly cutting loose the autocrat Hosni Mubarak, a staunch US ally for the past 30 years.

That decision earned him the ill will of Riyadh and cooled relationships between Washington and the Gulf capitals. In the past year, in the lead up to Thursday's poll, there was no sign that Obama wanted to be any more proactive than he had already been in the region.

As Syria descended into the abyss, Washington refused to be drawn into a lead role in any intervention, taking a bit role part in regional efforts to organise and arm the anti-Assad opposition.

"We were very frustrated with the Americans," a senior Turkish official told the Guardian this week. "We expected more from then. Even now, I'm not sure they want to lead. Let's hope they do."

Martin Chulov in Beirut

Africa

On a wall of the US ambassador's residence in Pretoria hangs a unique photograph: the silhouette of Barack Obama bending to shake the hand of a smiling Nelson Mandela. Taken seven years ago in Washington, it documents the only meeting of America's and South Africa's first black presidents.

From dawn , the framed picture formed part of the backdrop to rolling election coverage at a champagne breakfast hosted by the US ambassador, Donald Gips. There was little doubt who the South Africans present were rooting for.

"We all need an Obama presidency," said Mandela's ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Obama's victory speech "brought tears to my eyes".

Lindiwe Zulu, international relations adviser to President Jacob Zuma, and openly pro-Obama, said: "We are hoping that this time around he will even be able to visit South Africa, because if he doesn't, we won't forgive him for that!" Obama has been criticised for spending less than 24 hours in sub-Saharan Africa during his first term – a flying visit to Ghana in 2009.

Zulu continued: "We also hope that in the next four years Africa will occupy a higher space in his agenda.

"In his own words, he says the best is yet to come, so we're looking out for that best that he's talking about from an African perspective."Zuma offered his own congratulations. "We value our relations with the United States and look forward to strengthening bilateral co-operation in the years to come," he said.

The US remained important to Africa's development, Zuma added. "South Africa is confident that the United States will continue to play a positive role in this regard."

Obama's victory was immensely popular across the continent, nowhere more so than in Kogelo, the Kenyan village where his late father was born. Obama's stepgrandmother, Mama Sarah, was quoted by the Daily Nation newspaper as saying: "Much as I must thank the American people for this gesture, victory is Africa's as it solidifies our position in world leadership." The 90-year-old said there were many factors in Obama's triumph but stressed two of them: "It is God's plan and, most of all, he is an outstanding gentleman."

The chorus of congratulation was joined by the Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, whose own election campaign borrowed conspicuously from Obama's.

A government statement said: "President Jonathan welcomes President Obama's victory in an intensely fought presidential race as an endorsement by the good people of the United States of his leadership, progressive world view and the very good work he has done in the past four years towards ending global economic depression and fostering global peace and security."

In Zimbabwe, which is facing its own election next year, the education minister, David Coltart, tweeted: "Congratulations @BarackObama on your victory. My prayer is that you will use your 2nd term to help the #peace process in #Zimbabwe." He added: "It takes an election in such a vast country and so close to show us #Zimbabweans what we need to do if we are to respect our right to elect."

David Smith in Pretoria

India

In India, another large country focused almost exclusively on divisive domestic issues, reaction to Obama's win was more muted.

"India is not really part of the equation and has barely been mentioned in the campaign," said Vinod Mehta, a journalist and analyst. "There is a sense, though, that we know Obama: he has been here; he has taken a hard line on Pakistan. And there was a concern that Romney had some real nutcases in his team who could have ended up in powerful positions. Overall, I think India is happy with the outcome."

US relations with India over recent years have been good, even if concrete achievements have been few. Trade has expanded, albeit more slowly than some had hoped, and the US has missed out on major defence deals.

Kanchen Giri, a 25-year-old waiter from West Bengal, currently working in Goa, said the victory was good news. "I like Obama," he said. "He's much better. I don't know much about American but he's my favourite. I'm glad he won." Noshir Dadrawala, who runs an NGO in Mumbai, said he was pleased. "I'm happy. he's a good guy," he said.

A statement from the Indian ministry of external affairs said the "government and people of India" congratulated Obama on "winning a second mandate from the people of the USA, who have expressed their will in the great tradition of democracy in their country". A spokesman said India "looked forward to continuing to deepen and widen the engagement between India and the US in the years ahead."

Ashok Ravi Kavi, who started India's first ever gay magazine in 1990, said he had been "dancing" at the "fantastic" news.

He said: "There's hope of less conflict in the world. Romney would have gone to war with Iran and tried to set the world in its place; Obama tries to build bridges."

Jason Burke in New Delhi

France

In France, where 78% of people wanted Obama to win, including a majority on the right and far-right, the president's second term was applauded across the political spectrum. François Hollande, the Socialist president, sent his "warmest congratulations" saying this was "an important moment for the US, but also for the world."

He lauded the voters' "clear choice" for "an America of openness and solidarity, fully engaged on the international scene and conscious of the challenges facing our planet: peace, economy and the environment." He stressed the need to work together to "bring back growth, fight unemployment and find solutions for the crises threatening us, notably in the Middle East".

He avoided Nicolas Sarkozy's slip in 2008 of spelling Obama's first name wrong in the French congratulation letter.

The rightwinger Nadine Morano, a former minister under Sarkozy, declared that Obama had been more polite in victory than Hollande. "Obama is extending a hand to Romney in the name of the country's interest, not like Hollande," she tweeted of the Socialist president, who she said had "discourteously turned his back" on Sarkozy while walking up the Elysée steps on taking office.

The leftwing daily Libération ran a special edition, its front page showing a smiling Obama and one word: "Yes!" Its editorial echoed a comparison made across the French media in a Europe still engulfed by economic crisis, saying Obama had succeeded "where Sarkozy, Zapatero and Brown failed" – winning re-election "in the midst of a major economic crisis the US still hasn't emerged from".

On the right, Le Figaro reflected France's seeming nonstop airtime for US politics and TV series. Its front page carried the headline: "Obama: Season 2".

Angelique Chrisafis in Paris

Latin America

Congratulatory messages for Barack Obama came in thick and fast from Latin America, but they were mixed with sharp reminders that a president who relied so heavily on the Hispanic vote for re-election needs to do more on the key regional concerns of trade, immigration, drug control and cross-border crime.

Brazil's president, Dilma Rousseff, cut short her attendance at an anti-corruption conference to call the US president with a message of support. "I congratulate President Obama and the US people," she said, making a thumbs up and then a heart sign with her hands to express her feelings on hearing of the result.

The Mexican president, Felipe Calderón, tweeted a message of felicitation to Obama and praised the "exemplary" US election process. The Argentinian president, Cristina Kirchner, sent a more politically loaded letter, in which she pledged to work alongside the re-elected US leader.

"Argentina and the US have maintained friendly relations since our epic struggles against colonialism," she wrote. "Those ideals of freedom and independence must continue to guide us in all areas of our duties as leaders. Rest assured that the Argentinian people and this president will always be with you in building a more just, less violent, more equitable world."

The Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, has yet to comment publicly on the result. He previously expressed support for Obama in the election, although he has accused the US president of continuing the "aggressive" and "imperialist" foreign policy of his predecessors. "I hope the next government takes a good look at its role," he said earlier this week.

Many regional newspapers and websites emphasised that the president owed his success in swing states to a strong Hispanic vote.

Brazil's pro-business Veja magazine noted "minorities are set to be the majority", pointing to Obama's admission that he had failed to do enough on immigration reform as a key moment in the campaign and a signal of future policy changes.

The VOXXI news portal noted that Obama gained 60% of the Hispanic vote in Florida a higher support rate than in 2008. In California and Pennsylvania, it was as high as 80%.

In Mexico, Obama has won kudos for a slightly less draconian approach to immigration and for being less pro-gun than Romney. However, the biggest impact on Mexico from this election may be the passing of votes in Colorado and Washington to legalise marijuana for recreational use. The moves could be a step towards the de-escalation of the war on drugs, which has ravaged much of Latin America.

A comment piece in the Globo newspaper, which is part of the country's biggest media group, noted that one of the main lessons from this election was that Republicans have a "huge Hispanic problem".

"Nationally, Latino voters make up 10% of the electorate," it observed. "Obama won 69% of votes, while Romney got only 29%. In Florida, Latinos are almost a fifth of the population, and Obama was their favourite by a 21-point margin. The GOP simply cannot lose seven in 10 Hispanics in elections and expect to be a viable national party." It predicted that issues such as immigration would become even more influential in the future as the Hispanic population in the US increases.

Many media groups stressed the economic challenges facing the new administration. With a fiscal crisis looming, some called for greater economic growth and trade. Others wanted Obama to join Latin American nations in encouraging Europe to ease its austerity measures. Most, though, felt that Obama was a safe pair of hands.

Veja claimed the result would be good for market sentiment. "Despite complaints from investors in the past that the White House interferes too much, it is understood in the market today that monitoring and regulation are important measures."

Folha de São Paulo, another Brazilian newspaper, said the result would have little impact on bilateral trade, though it noted that Dilma is close politically and personally to Obama.

Most prominent, however, was coverage of Obama's promise of inclusiveness. Several media organisations in Latin America quoted Obama's victory speech about a US that can fulfil the dreams of black and white, Latino and Asian, young and old, able or disabled, homosexual or heterosexual.

El Comercio of Ecuador said whether this dream was realised would determine the success of the president's second term. "This was a message from Obama in Chicago, the windy city. We will have to see whether the wind carries his words from last night across through the next four years – and with them the hope of a more United States."

Jonathan Watts