Us Congratulates Najib On Ge13 Win

KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 (Bernama) -- The United States (US) has congratulated Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition for winning Sunday's 13th General Election (GE13).

"We congratulate the people of Malaysia on holding the most competitive election in their country's history," a statement issued by the US Embassy here said today, quoting Patrick Ventrell, acting deputy spokesman at the US State Department.

"We were pleased to see Malaysians across the political spectrum engaged in the electoral process in large numbers with unprecedented enthusiasm," he said, adding that the US looked forward to working with the new government, once it was formed.

The GE13 saw the Najib-led BN returned to power when the coalition won 133 of the 222 parliamentary seats to form the new federal government.

On Monday, Najib took the oath of office as prime minister before Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah at the Istana Negara.

In the statement, Ventrell also called on all parties to peacefully respect the will of the voters.

On concerns about voting irregularities, he said addressing such issues was important to strengthen confidence in the electoral process.

Najib, who is BN chairman, also received a congratulatory message via phone call today from his New Zealand counterpart, John Key, according to an aide of the Malaysian leader.