Sudan's President casts vote in multi-party elections

Sudan's President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, has cast his vote in the first multi-party elections in 24 years.

Sudanese President and presidential candidate Omar al-Bashir raises his stick as he is greeted by a supporter, after casting his vote for Sudan's first multiparty elections in decades in Khartoum, Sunday, April 11, 2010. The elections were billed as a chance to bring democracy to Sudan and start to heal a history of turmoil.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

After exchanging greetings with his supporters, Bashir took ten minutes to cast his vote at a Khartoum polling station on Sunday. There, queues were dominated by voters from the army and security services.

Bashir, seems certain to win another four-year term. Leading opposition parties pulled out of the elections in most of northern Sudan, accusing Bashir's powerful ruling party of fraud. Media reports, say the three-day election is a key indicator of whether Sudan can fend off renewed conflict and humanitarian crisis, as it heads toward a 2011 referendum that could bring independence for south Sudan.