UK election result: How the world reacted
1 hour ago
From the section World These are external links and will open in a new window Share this with Facebook Share this with Twitter Share this with Messenger Share this with Email Share
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves the Conservative Party's Headquarters after Britain's election in London on 9 June, 2017.Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
British PM Theresa May is now facing calls to resign
The result of the UK election has sent shockwaves across Europe and beyond.
While the media suggests Prime Minister Theresa May's election gamble has backfired, politicians are questioning the likely impact on the Brexit talks.
Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the European Commission, said he wanted discussions to proceed without delay.
"As far as the Commission is concerned we can open negotiations tomorrow morning at half past nine," he said in Brussels.
"First we have to agree on the divorce and exit modalities, and then we have to envisage the architecture of our future relations. I do hope that the result of the elections will have no major impact on the negotiations we are desperately waiting for."
Sweden's former Prime Minister Carl Bildt, who now chairs the European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank, called the outcome "messy".
"One mess risks following another. Price to be paid for lack of true leadership," he tweeted.
'Another own goal'
Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, who is president of the Alliance of Liberals & Democrats for Europe in the European Parliament, had caustic words for Mrs May.
"Yet another own goal, after Cameron now May, will make already complex negotiations even more complicated," he tweeted.
Election 2017: Key points at-a-glance
Can Theresa May stay as PM?
What happens when no-one wins the election?
Election 2017: The result in maps
What the election result means for Brexit
Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator for Brexit, had a more conciliatory message. "#Brexit negotiations should start when UK is ready; timetable and EU positions are clear. Let's put our minds together on striking a deal," he said.
Mr Barnier also retweeted European Council President Donald Tusk, who alluded to the March 2019 deadline for Brexit talks.
"We don't know when Brexit talks start. We know when they must end. Do your best to avoid a "no deal" as result of "no negotiations", he wrote.
Former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb and senior German MP Stephan Meyer both said Britain should be given time to form a stable government before Brexit negotiations started.
"It means instability for Britain," Mr Meyer told German radio. "Officially Theresa May is still the partner in Brexit negotiations, but the political reality is different after this disastrous defeat. I can't imagine that May will be able to remain prime minister."
The EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said it was uncertain when Britain would have a clear Brexit strategy.
"One year after their referendum, we still don't know the British position in the negotiations on Brexit and it seems difficult to predict when we will, because democracy often requires time," she observed.
A spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her government would not comment on the election result out of "politeness and respect" while the process of forming a new government was ongoing.
The front page of the Frankfurter Allgemeine website on 9 June carries a picture of Theresa May and the words Image copyrightFRANKFURTERALLGEMEINE
Leaving politicians for the press arena, German tabloid Bild ran the headline "Election blow for Theresa May", while Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Die Welt chose "May-Day".
"The voters of the United Kingdom are insecure, angry and upset," observed Frankfurter Allgemeine, calling it "a vote against a hard Brexit".
Elsewhere in Europe, Italian daily La Repubblica declared: "May's gamble fails, loses her majority", and noted that voter turnout was the highest for 20 years at 69%.
France's Le Monde observed that the pound had fallen against the dollar, and that the British economy had already seen the lowest growth of any G7 country during the first quarter of the year.
It added that Mrs May's party should brace itself for protracted coalition talks, which "may last for weeks".
Commenting on the Labour Party's result, Le Figaro praised it as an "impressive rebound". It also said that, given Jeremy Corbyn's "spectacular and powerful comeback", he could now "assert himself as a kingmaker".
Le Monde online ran a picture of a beaming Jeremy Corbyn, Theresa May's Labour rival, wavingImage copyrightLE MONDE
Looking east from London, the Chinese press offered largely factual reports, with little comment except to say the result would have a "huge" impact on Brexit discussions.
In Hong Kong, independent outlets said the Tories had made a "grave miscalculation".
Shi Zhiqin, a professor from Tsinghua University in Beijing, said China might no longer see the need to keep Britain as a strong ally in the EU.
"But I think Britain's main concern is to keep China as a trade partner after it lost the EU market," he told the South China Morning Post.
A correspondent for Qatar-funded Al Jazeera TV, which ran a special segment on the polls, said the Labour Party had led a "fierce campaign that the Conservative Party did not expect".
The results were covered prominently on some Lebanese newspaper websites, with the front page of left-wing Al Akhbar newspaper reading: "Britain: Corbyn brings down the hopes of the Conservatives."
In India, newspapers are taking an interest in Preet Gill, who has become the UK's first Sikh woman MP, and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, the first turban-wearing Sikh winner.
Media captionGeneral Election 2017: Preet Gill becomes first female Sikh MP
Indian headlines also concluded that the result was a setback for Theresa May, with the Hindustan Times calling it a "stunning blow" for the prime minister.
Congratulations to Corbyn
Labour boosted its number of seats by 29 overnight, exciting Corbyn supporters abroad.
US Senator Bernie Sanders, the former Democratic presidential candidate, told the Washington Post he was thrilled.
Why did Theresa May call an election?
A record number of female MPs
Twenty things you may have missed from election night
Brexit delays over UK hung parliament?
"I am delighted to see Labour do so well. All over the world people are rising up against austerity and massive levels of income and wealth inequality.
"People in the UK, the US and elsewhere want governments that represent all the people, not just the 1%. I congratulate Jeremy Corbyn for running a very positive and effective campaign."
Bill Shorten, leader of the Australian Labor Party, made similar observations, telling reporters:
"One of the things which my counterpart, the Labour leader in the United Kingdom, did is he campaigned and his slogan was 'For the many, not the few.'
"I think Mr Turnbull [Australia's prime minister] would be well advised to look at the popularity of that message."
Le Monde online ran a picture of a beaming Jeremy Corbyn, Theresa May's Labour rival, wavingImage copyrightLE MONDE
Former Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo also tweeted his approval, writing: "Congratulations to @jeremycorbyn for its positive campaign and to the Labour Party for its good results #UKElection2017"
Martin Schulz, former president of the European Parliament, congratulated Mr Corbyn, saying they had spoken by phone and agreed to meet soon.
In Russia, state-owned news agency RIA Novosti is claiming the Conservatives will not forgive Theresa May for the result, and predicts a new prime minister.
On the morning of 9 June, state-run rolling news channel Rossiya 24 called it "Theresa May's devastating defeat."