Declaration by Gabi Zimmer, President of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) Group in the European Parliament:

"When Barack Obama was elected four years ago unprecedented levels of hope spread throughout the United States and around the world, with American citizens' expectations sky high after the bitter disappointment of two Bush administrations.

Given the grave danger posed to worldwide peace and stability by Mitt Romney's retrograde and dangerous version of conservatism, we are pleased that Barack Obama has won. He must now respond to these huge expectations of the American people, for many of whom the hope of 2008 was quickly replaced by doubt and disappointment.

In 2008 Obama promised to radically change the way Washington and its policies affect the rest of the world, but with the reality of managing an unprecedented economic crisis his aspirations were rethought and watered down, with dramatic consequences for working class people.

Heading into his next term, Barack Obama must now deal with crippling unemployment, growing levels of poverty, a chronic deficit and colossal levels of debt, as well as put an end to military interventions in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world."

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GUE/NGL Press Contacts:

Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20