The dramatic event sparked fears that the violence that had plagued the country after the 2007 elections left 1,400 dead. Increased
Article Author:
Reuters
George Oblutsa and Ayenat Mersie
NAIROBI/KISUMU — Kenyan politician Laila Odinga said he Declared defeated by Vice President William Ruto in Tuesday's presidential election, he warned on Tuesday of the long legal crisis facing democracy in Kenya.
His first comment on the results was that he said four of the seven Electoral Commissioners were announced by Electoral Commission Chairman Wahra Chevkati. He said he supported a decision made a day earlier to deny the figures.
A dramatic string of events led to a controversial poll in East Africa's richest country, which killed more than 1,200 of his deaths in 2007 and more than 100 in 2017. triggered fears of violence similar to those that followed.
Overnight, Odinga's supporters fought police and burned tires in the western city of Kisumu and the capital Nairobi's gigantic slum Kibera, but calm returned to the city on Tuesday morning. .
"In our view, the figures announced by Chebkati are invalid and must be annulled by the courts," said the veteran opposition leader, this time as presidential candidate, who put him at 5. Odinga, who ran twice, said: Outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"What we saw yesterday was a farce," he told reporters, but urged his supporters to keep the peace. “Let no one take the law into his own hands,” he said.
Odinga broadcast a press conference of opposition committee members at his own venue before taking the stage. He said he was not yet ready to announce concrete legal action.
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Kenya's Electoral Commission
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Root's Party in Kenyan Capital
72} Odinga win over governor has until next Monday to challenge the Supreme Court.
On behalf of the four commissioners, Electoral Commission Deputy Chair Juliana Cherera said the results showing the route winning 50.49% were miscalculated, and Chebkati said the other commissioners
Cherera later said that one of her main claims was based on mathematical errors. I'm here. She initially stressed that her four candidates' share of the vote combined in the campaign would give her 100.01%, and her additional 0.01%, equivalent to her 142,000 votes, would sway the election. said it was possible.
Root defeated Odinga by about 233,000 votes.
In response to a Reuters question, Cherera later admitted that 0.01% of the 14.2 million votes cast were actually 1,420 votes, but the tally remained a lack of data quality control.
Reuters was unable to reach a spokesperson for the Election Commission for comment.
With the memory of the post-election bloodshed still fresh, Odinga was called upon at home and abroad to undertake to resolve his concerns in court.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres hopes to meet Root on Tuesday and Odinga on Wednesday, said UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric. law.
Presidential Candidate Laila Odinga 16/16/2022. Photo by Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said he would "peacefully address remaining concerns about the election." He urged parties to work together to resolve the issue. He called on party leaders to strengthen existing dispute resolution mechanisms and urge their supporters to keep the peace.
"I hope that calmness and patience will prevail," Price told reporters, adding that Washington will continue to stay in close contact with its partners in Kenya.
In a crowded restaurant in Odinga's hometown of Kisumu, sporadic applause erupted as supporters watched as his statement denied the outcome and called for peace. It was quiet outside the street.
"We have evidence that Root rigged this thing, so there is no need to protest," said businessman and Odinga advocate Justin Omondi.
Still, overnight protests showed how quickly tensions can escalate. Many shops in Kisumu were closed on Tuesday, and the roads were dotted with stones and burnt tire marks. had been destroyed.
"I lost the election and I lost my business," said Achieng, who sold beans, chapattis and roasted corn there for two years.
Kenyan eurobonds fell after statements by Odinga and the Commissioner, but recovered some of the sharp losses seen on Monday and were still rising on the day. Dollar in 2024 Denominated bonds rose 1.86 cents per dollar to 88.5 cents at 1400 GMT, above the 92 cents late week.
Rut will face economic and social crises and growing debt. Already reeling from the effects of COVID-19, poor Kenyans are hit by skyrocketing food and fuel costs, while a devastating drought in the north has left him 4.1 million dependent on food aid.
Root, 55, has put Kenyan class divisions at the center of his campaign to become Kenya's fifth president in a promise to reward low-income "hustlers," but on Monday For every Kenyan who swore to be president in his victory speech.
Outgoing President Kenyatta was unable to run after serving two of his five-year terms, and was at odds with Vice President Ruto, favoring Odinga.
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