By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has joined world leaders in congratulating Donald Trump on his return to the White House, after defeating Kamala Harris in a stunning political comeback that sent shock waves across the world.
Ramaphosa said he looked forward to ‘continuing the close and mutually beneficial partnership between our two nations across all domains of our cooperation”.
“In the global arena, we look forward to our presidency of the G20 in 2025, where we will work closely with the US who will succeed us in the G20 presidency in 2026.”
Trump, 78, defeated Harris to return to the White House four years after his loss to president Joe Biden.
The polarizing Republican’s win, following one of the most hostile campaigns in modern US history, was all the more remarkable given an unprecedented criminal conviction, a near-miss assassination attempt, and warnings from a former chief of staff that he is a “fascist.”
Trump is the first president in more than a century to win a non-consecutive second term.
He is also the only person to be elected as a convicted felon — he will face sentencing in a New York court for fraud on November 26.
Trump is on course to break another record as the oldest-ever sitting president during his four-year term. He will surpass Biden who is set to step down in January at the age of 82.
The dollar surged, stocks rallied and bitcoin struck a record high Wednesday as news of his victory emerged.
World Reactions
Egypt
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said he hoped Trump’s return to the White House could help bring peace to the Middle East.
“I wish him all the success … and I look forward to reaching peace together, upholding regional stability and strengthening the strategic partnership between Egypt and the United States and their friendly peoples,” el-Sisi said on X.
Iran
The livelihoods of Iranians will not be affected by the US election, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told reporters after a cabinet meeting in the capital, Tehran.
“The US elections are not really our business. Our policies are steady and don’t change based on individuals. We made the necessary predictions before and there will not be change in people’s livelihoods,” she said.
Hamas
“Our position on the new US administration depends on its positions and practical behaviour towards our Palestinian people, their legitimate rights and their just cause,” the Palestinian group said in a statement.
The new president must “listen to the voices of the American community itself rejecting the aggression on Gaza”, it said in a statement, adding that the new US administration “must realise that our people are continuing to confront the occupation and will not accept a path that diminishes their rights”.
“We are confident that the United States will support, under your leadership, the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people,”
President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement, reaffirming the Palestinian commitment to “the pursuit of freedom, self-determination and statehood, in accordance with international law.”
China
“Our policy towards the US is consistent,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a news briefing.
“We will continue to view and handle China-US relations in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” she added.
Russia
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists he was unaware of any plans by President Vladimir Putin to congratulate Trump since the US is an “unfriendly country”.
“We will draw conclusions based on concrete steps and concrete words,” Peskov said.
“Trump has one useful quality for us: as a businessman to the core, he mortally dislikes spending money on various hangers-on and stupid hanger-on allies, on bad charity projects and on voracious international organisations,” former President Dmitry Medvedev posted on the Telegram messaging app.
We are under no illusions about the American president-elect,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding that it will “work with” a new US administration and prioritise achieving its “set goals” in Ukraine.
It said its “conditions” on ending the conflict “are unchanged and are well known in Washington”.
United Kingdom
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “Congratulations President-elect Trump on your historic election victory. I look forward to working with you in the years ahead. As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.”