Washington, Nov 15 (IANS): Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said that members of her party must not be "divided" or "discouraged" and emphasised the importance of "analysing" and "understanding" the election loss they suffered on November 8.

In a telephone conference call with Democratic lawmakers on Monday, Clinton thanked them for their support and efforts for her campaign and urged them to get to work as soon as possible to recover from the demoralising election upset, Efe news reported.

Clinton said that although she received more of the popular vote than President-elect Donald Trump, the Electoral College dealt out the victory to her Republican rival.

She said that, in the end, the Democratic vision for the country won the most votes and she was grateful for that, adding that nobody is sadder than she at the outcome and acknowledging that broken hearts - hers included - do not heal overnight.

However, she told her fellow Democrats that there are two things that they must not allow themselves to become - "discouraged" or "divided" - noting that "we are stronger together", paraphrasing one of her campaign slogans.

She said that the people for whom Democrats fought in the election need leaders more than ever and the values that the party embraces are more important than ever.

After the White House defeat, and given the fact that they control neither house of Congress, Democrats are going through a tough period during which they must evaluate what their future strategy will be, starting on Thursday with electing a new head of the Democratic National Committee.

President Barack Obama also spoke on that matter on Monday, saying that it will be "healthy" for the Democratic Party to reflect on the defeat, and going on to advise lawmakers to get closer to their base and establish a closer relationship with local and rural communities.