While the US sees a presidential race that could go either way, much of the rest of the world is expecting—and in many cases, actively hoping for—a continued Obama presidency. Some 75% of Europeans prefer the incumbent to Mitt Romney, while just 8% favor the former governor, a poll finds. Another poll found that in mid-October, 82% of Germans predicted Obama would win; 11% thought Romney would be the victor. Obama's popularity in Europe has prompted conservative officials there to align themselves with the Democrat, the Washington Post notes.
After building relationships with the Obama White House, many European leaders would prefer not to start from scratch with a new administration. Indeed, German chancellor Angela Merkel, whose party is center-right, would likely prefer an Obama win, according to analysts. Poland's president, however, has endorsed Romney, and eastern Europe tends to view Republicans as allies against Russia. Israelis also favor the GOP candidate. Meanwhile, the Post notes that while China's people closely follow the election, their government is less concerned with the candidates themselves than with their attacks on Beijing. (More Mitt Romney stories.)
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