video transcript

News of Barack Obama's re-election in the US tops the agenda on Russian news networks. As Russians woke up to news of Obama's victory, residents of the capital Moscow appeared pleased... not so much that he had won, but that he had kept out rival Mitt Romney. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MOSCOW RESIDENT GALINA: "At least we already know him, he's already been there before. And this Mitt, he's a black horse we don't know what he is and who he is." The sentiment is no surprise considering that during his campaign republican candidate Romney labelled Russia as America's "number one geopolitical foe". In Greece too the U.S. election was making headlines. On the streets of Athens residents were hoping that Obama's second term would have a positive impact on the rest of the world. (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) ATHENS RESIDENT YANNIS SOUGALEKIS: "Let's hope he does something good in the rest of the world, like bringing peace and stopping all these wars, for people to have health and be alright. Congratulations to Obama." Foreign policy took a back seat in this election campaign as both candidates focused on how to repair the flailing U.S. economy. The president faces the difficult task of tackling 1 trillion US dollars annual deficits, overhauling expensive social programs, and dealing with a gridlocked US congress.