Article author:
Associated Press
Nairobi, Kenya (AP) — Kenyans will vote on Tuesday to choose a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. The race is just around the corner and it is possible that we will reach the final for the first time.
One of the leading candidates is Raila Odinga, the fifth opposition leader in the presidential election, supported by former rival Kenyatta. The other is Kenyatta's Vice President, William Ruto, who dropped out with the president in the first half of 10 years of power.
Both tend to focus much more on domestic issues, how to follow up Kenyatta's diplomatic efforts for calm in neighboring Ethiopia, or tensions between Rwanda and Congo. Raises the problem.
What's wrong?
Kenya is the economic center of East Africa and is home to about 56 million people. The country has a history of recent turbulent elections. Still, areas where some elections face serious problems and long-time leaders such as Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni have won nearly 99% of the votes or have been widely criticized. So, it stands out because it is relatively stable. Physically crack down on candidates.
Kenya has no transparency in campaign donations and spending. It is estimated that some candidates for Congress and other positions are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to gain access to both legal and illegal powers and their interests.
What are the main candidate platforms?
55-year-old Lut, in contrast to the elite background of Kenyatta and Odinga, became a hustler who stood up from the beginning as a humble chicken seller to young people and the poor. Promote yourself. He wants greater agricultural productivity and financial inclusion. Agriculture is the main driver of Kenya's economy, with about 70% of the rural workforce engaged in agriculture.
The 77-year-old Odinga, famous for being imprisoned while fighting for multi-party democracy decades ago, cashes into Kenya's poorest and more accessible health care. I promised to give it out.
What do voters care about?
Odinga and Lut have long circulated among presidential candidates and have some indifference among Kenyans, especially young people in countries with a median age of about 20. there is. The Election Commission signed less than half of the new voters it wanted, only 2.5 million.
Key issues in all elections include widespread corruption and the economy. Kenyans were hurt by rising food and fuel prices triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This happens after the financial distress of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than one-third of the country's youth are unemployed.
When will Kenya be the winner?
Official results will be announced within a week of voting. To win completely, candidates need more than half of all votes and at least 25% of the votes in more than half of Kenya's 47 counties. The lack of a complete winner means a final vote in an election within 30 days.
The last presidential election in 2017 made history when the Supreme Court overturned the outcome and ordered the first new vote in Africa. If the court requests a new vote again, such an election will take place within 60 days of the judgment. The candidate or others will file a petition with the court within one week of the declaration of the results and will make a judgment within two weeks.