US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has congratulated Libya for holding is first nationwide vote in decades. She said the US stands ready to help the North African nation become a free and peaceful democracy.

Speaking Sunday 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".

Clinton said it's the "will of the people, not the whim of the dictator" but 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 Muammar Gaddafi last year, and Clinton pledged continued American support to the country.