Hillary Clinton secures Democrat presidential nomination

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton secured the Democratic party's 2016 nomination for the White House on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to head the ticket of a major party in US history.

Delegates from South Dakota gave Ms Clinton 15 votes, ensuring that she had more than the 2,383 votes needed to win the nomination during a state-by-state roll call at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.

After a tough battle with rival Bernie Sanders, Ms Clinton is now the party's standard-bearer against Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November 8th election.

Delegates chanted "Hillary, Hillary" as US senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland formally put forward Ms Clinton's name for the alphabetical roll-call vote.

“Yes, we do break barriers. I broke a barrier when I became the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right,” Ms Mikulski said.

“So it is with a full heart that I’m here today to nominate Hillary Clinton to be the first woman president,” Ms Mikulski said.

Endorsement

Mr Sanders has endorsed Clinton, a former first lady and US senator, but some of his supporters protested in Philadelphia against the party leadership’s apparent backing of her during the bitter Democratic primary fight.

Supporters of Ms Clinton say her Washington credentials show she has the experience needed for the White House during troubled times, as the US tries to speed up its economic recovery and faces security challenges abroad.

Detractors view her as too cozy with the establishment and say she carries political baggage, dating back to the start of her husband Bill Clinton’s first White House term in the 1990s.

Reuters