If the world could vote...

IF THE rest of the world could take part in the US presidential election, Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama would win four times more votes than his Republican rival John McCain.

In surveys conducted by the Gallup Organisation in 70 countries representing nearly half the world’s population, 30% of people said they would choose Obama as president against 8% who said they preferred McCain.

A majority of Europeans in 14 countries said they wanted an Obama victory, with the Dutch and Norwegians the strongest Obama supporters in Europe: nearly three-quarters in both countries said they preferred him to McCain.

In France, 64% chose Obama against 4% for McCain, and in Germany the Democratic presidential contender was supported by 62% of those polled compared with 10% for McCain.

In four close US partners in Asia — Australia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea — residents came out clearly in favour of Obama.

Two-thirds of Japanese and Australian respondents said they preferred Obama to McCain, who only scored about 15% in the two countries.

In Singapore and South Korea, meanwhile, the pro-Obama vote outpaced the pro-McCain vote by about two to one.

Middle Easterners chose Obama over McCain by a margin of at least two to one.

In Africa, an average of 56% of poll respondents chose Obama.