US 2016 Presidential Elections: Sanders Says Clinton Must Be US President

Local Editor

Bernie Sanders has urged Democrats to put Hillary Clinton in the White House, in a speech to the party convention.

The Vermont senator received a three-minute standing ovation when he took the stage in Philadelphia.

"Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States," he said as the crowd erupted in cheers.

First Lady Michelle Obama also received a rapturous reception for a powerful speech in which she took on Republican nominee Donald Trump.

"Don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great, that somehow we need to make it great again," she said, referring to Trump's signature slogan "Make America Great Again".

"Because this, right now, is the greatest country on earth," she added.

Earlier in the evening, Sanders' fans had booed any mention of Clinton, who will accept the party's presidential nomination on Thursday.

And as he implored them to back his Democratic rival in the final major speech of the night, they held aloft their blue "Bernie" signs and chanted his name.

Some supporters broke into tears while others wore duct tape emblazoned with the words "silenced" over their mouths.

"While Donald Trump is busy insulting one group after another, Hillary Clinton understands that our diversity is one of our greatest strengths," Sanders continued.

"If you don't believe this election is important, if you think you can sit it out, take a moment to think about the Supreme Court justices that Donald Trump would nominate and what that would mean to civil liberties, equal rights and the future of our country," he said.

Revelations from an email leak which showed DNC officials allegedly plotted against Sanders' primary campaign threatened to overshadow the event as it fuelled the anger of his voters.

WikiLeaks released emails that revealed the DNC was biased against Sanders when he ran against Clinton in the hard-fought primary contest.

The FBI has confirmed that it is investigating the leak.

Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned on Sunday as pressure built on the party to address the scandal.

Democratic Party bosses later issued an apology to Sanders for "inexcusable" emails which tried to undermine his White House campaign.

But Sanders refused to let the email scandal eclipse his message to his supporters.

"Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her here tonight," he said before he left the stage.

About 5,000 party delegates are among the 50,000 people expected to attend the four-day convention, which will end on Thursday with Clinton formally accepting the nomination for president.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team