US elections

Daniel Cohn-Bendit and the European Greens are very happy about the outcome of the US elections and look forward to the new US-European relationship. "Today marks the end of an era of American cowboys: the second death of John Wayne. Too often there is a hangover after elections, but today there is only sunshine."

Commenting on the election of Barack Obama as US President, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, co-president of the Greens/EFA Group in the European parliament, said:

"It is wonderful to wake up and see a world that has become just that little bit more beautiful. The hope is there, now we must wait and see what follows.

"We should recognise that the American people have achieved something truly great in electing Obama. Today marks the end of an era of American cowboys: the second death of John Wayne. Too often there is a hangover after elections, but today there is only sunshine. The whole world could identify itself in this vote and Americans can be proud of what they have achieved."

Monica Frassoni, Greens/EFA Group co-president, commented:

"We are witnessing the dawn of a new era. A dark cloud has lifted over the United States and the rest of the world.

"The elections are a victory for hope and democracy, not just for Barack Obama. By voting in droves, Americans showed they believed in bringing about change by going to the polls.

"The world faces an uncertain economic and environmental future with problems that cannot be solved by one person alone. But we can at last hope that the fear and scaremongering is over and look forward to a new age of positive thinking on security and defence, on climate change and for social justice.

"We have a lot to learn from this experience as we approach European elections. The Greens see shared values in Barack Obama and look forward to giving fresh impetus to policies that favour environmental protection and a fairer, more democratic society."

Press Service of the Greens/EFA Group
in the European Parliament

Chris Coakley,
Press Officer,
The Greens/EFA in the European Parliament
Tel: Brussels +32 2 2841667 / Strasburg +33 3 88174375
Mobile: +32-477-44-38-42
Fax: 0032 2 2844944
email: chris.coakley@europarl.europa.eu