US Elections: Donald Trump does not rule out prosecuting Hillary Clinton

Republican Donald Trump stunned the world by defeating heavily favored rival Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's presidential election, ending eight years of Democratic rule and sending the United States on a new, uncertain path.

A wealthy real estate developer and former reality TV host, Trump rode a wave of anger toward Washington insiders to win the White House race against Clinton, the Democratic candidate whose gold-plated establishment resume included stints as a first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state.

Democratic President Barack Obama, who campaigned hard against Trump, telephoned the Republican "to congratulate him on his victory" and invited him to the White House for a meeting on Thursday, the White House said in a statement on Wednesday. Obama will make a statement later on Wednesday about the election, the White House said.

"Ensuring a smooth transition of power is one of the top priorities the President identified at the beginning of the year and a meeting with the President-elect is the next step," the White House said.

Worried that a Trump victory could cause economic and global uncertainty, investors were in full flight from risky assets.

STUNNED WORLD

World leaders pledged to work with Trump but some officials expressed alarm that the vote could mark the end of an era in which Washington promoted democratic values and was seen by its allies as a guarantor of peace.

During the campaign, Trump expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, questioned central tenets of the NATO military alliance and suggested that Japan and South Korea should develop nuclear weapons to shoulder their own defense burden.

Trump has promised to warm relations with Russia that have chilled under Obama over Russia's intervention in the Syrian civil war and its seizure of Ukraine's Crimea region.

Governments in Britain, China, Germany, Israel, Japan and Turkey, as well as Russia, congratulated Trump and said they would work with him.

"It is not an easy path but we are ready to do our part and do everything to return Russian and American relations to a stable path of development," Putin said.

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped to reach "new heights" in bilateral ties under Trump. Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing and Washington shared responsibility for promoting global development and prosperity.

Other officials, some of them with senior roles in government, took the unusual step of denouncing the outcome, calling it a worrying signal for liberal democracy and tolerance in the world.

"Trump is the pioneer of a new authoritarian and chauvinist international movement. He is also a warning for us," German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said in an interview with the Funke newspaper group.

U.S. neighbor Mexico was pitched into deep uncertainty by the victory for Trump, who has often accused it of stealing U.S. jobs and sending criminals across the border.

Trump wants to rewrite international trade deals to reduce trade deficits and has taken positions that raise the possibility of damaging relations with America's most trusted allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Prosecuting Clinton

Even though the FBI found no grounds for criminal charges after a probe into her use of a private email server rather than a government system while she was secretary of state, the issue allowed critics to raise doubts about her integrity. Hacked emails also showed a cozy relationship between her State Department and donors to her family's Clinton Foundation charity.

Trump seized on the emails to charge that Clinton represented a corrupt political system in Washington that had to be swept clean.His campaign manager however does not rule out special prosecutor for Hillary Clinton, says discussion to come 'all in due time' - MSNBC

Reuters