United Nations, April 28, 2010, SPA -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday commended the people of Sudan for participating in the recent elections there, the first multi-party ones in more than twenty years. In the April 11-15 national elections, voters in the north handed incumbent President Omar al-Bashir a victory while voters in the south elected Salva Kiir, the president of the autonomous government of Southern Sudan. Despite numerous challenges, Ban praised Sudanese voters for casting their ballots, saying it “stands as a demonstration of their commitment to democracy.” --SPA 13:17 LOCAL TIME 10:17 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/774584