Clinton praises democratic elections in Libya

TOKYO (AP) — US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton congratulated Libya on Sunday for holding its first nationwide vote in decades. She said the US stands ready to help the North African nation become a free and peaceful democracy.

Speaking in Japan, Clinton called the Libyan vote a “historic milestone.”

She said that “after more than four decades of authoritarian rule, men and women from every corner of Libya are determining their own future”

She said it’s the “will of the people, not the whim of the dictator.”

Clinton acknowledged there is hard work ahead for Libyans to unify their country and ensure it becomes a peaceful, democratic state. The US and its NATO allies helped Libyans oust dictator Moammar Gadhafi last year, and Clinton pledged continued American support to the country.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.