Final day of voting in S.Sudan's independence test

A small handful of voters are casting ballots in the final day of Southern Sudan's weeklong independence referendum.

A small handful of voters are casting ballots in the final day of Southern Sudan's weeklong independence referendum.

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Results start trickling in on Sunday, but there is little suspense. Almost everyone expects the south to vote overwhelmingly to break away from the north, creating the world's newest country. Officials have said that more than 60 percent of the 3.9 million registered voters have cast ballots. That was the threshold for the vote to be valid.

The proposal needs only a simple majority to pass. Sudan's ruling party in the north said Friday it was ready to accept southern independence. Border demarcation, oil rights and the status of the contested region of Abyei still have to be negotiated.