Nairobi — As Americans go to the polls to elect their 44th president today, the world has already given them a choice - Senator Barack Obama.

Many countries are openly supporting the Democrat, who they see as the candidate who offers hope.

A new opinion poll by Gallup shows that most countries in Africa, Europe and Asia overwhelmingly support Mr Obama.

In Africa, an average of 56 per cent of all respondents chose Mr Obama. And buoyed by record campaign donations and encouraging poll numbers, Senator Obama on Sunday promised to heal the world's and America's political divisions.

As Americans queued to vote, Mr Obama maintained a six-point lead against his rival John MacCain.

In China, a survey showed that 75 per cent of the country's population supported Mr Obama.

In 70 other countries, a survey showed that if the rest of the world could take part in the US election, Mr Obama would win four times more votes than Mr McCain.

Even presidents and prime ministers weighed in. French president Nicholas Sarkozy was among world leaders who came out in support of Mr Obama.

Mr Sarkozy said Mr Obama would change the way the world views the US. Also chipping in was Cuba's retired president Fidel Castro who said it was a pure miracle that Mr Obama had not been assassinated.

He wrote on a Cuban web site, "Profound racism exists in the United States. Millions of whites cannot reconcile in their minds the idea that a black man with his wife and children would move into the White House."

And on Sunday, Senator Obama and Senator McCain focused their attention on the must-win states of Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Mr McCain on Saturday questioned Mr Obama's readiness to lead in the face of "grave threats" posed by Al Qaeda.