Berlin:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel mentioned Thursday she was “furious and saddened” by the storming of the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump and mentioned the president shared blame for the unrest.
“I deeply regret that President Trump has not conceded his defeat, since November and again yesterday,” she mentioned.
“Doubts about the election outcome were stoked and created the atmosphere that made the events of last night possible,” she mentioned, adding that her shock was absolutely shared by the “millions of people who admire America’s democratic tradition”.
She welcomed a statement by President-elect Joe Biden as nicely as “many reactions from both major parties of the US” which she mentioned reassured her “that this democracy will prove to be much stronger than the attackers and rioters”.
She lamented the “tragic” loss of life in the chaotic scenes but mentioned the truth that lawmakers had returned to work overnight was a “sign of hope”.
“Now it is clear with the confirmation of the election victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the United States of America will, as it should, in less than two weeks open a new chapter of its democracy,” she mentioned.
“That means the forces of democracy have prevailed — that is something I always knew about the United States and expected.”
But she warned that the “disturbing” pictures from the Capitol would be noticed “in other places around the world (as) not exactly a badge of good democratic processes”.
“It is thus all the more important that the democrats prevailed,” she mentioned.
After a mob breached the US Capitol and sent lawmakers scrambling for security Wednesday, shaken members of Congress returned to certify Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win.
A lady died soon after becoming shot throughout the unrest, Washington police mentioned.
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