Kenneth Ogosia
31 December 2007
Nairobi — The US and the British governments Sunday asked all presidential candidates to accept the results of the just concluded General Election.
A statement from the US embassy said: "We ask all candidates to accept the Commission's final results and to urge their supporters to reject violence and respect the rule of law. Regardless of the eventual winners of this election, we call on Kenyans across the political spectrum to work together to advance democracy and national development."
It praised Kenyans for conducting peaceful elections and condemned the cases of violence.
According to the statement, the ECK did a perfect job and will give Kenyans the president they want.
A US Embassy official, Mr Thomas J. Dowling, called for patience until the commission announces the results and said any concerns about the elections should be addressed to the Electoral Commission.
The US government released another statement from New York, urging Kenyans to accept the final election results calmly, saying it had "great confidence" in the ECK and its chairman, Samuel Kivuitu.
State Department spokesman Tom Casey hailed Kenyans for the "largely peaceful and orderly voting."
"But," he added, "we share the Commission's concerns about reporting delays that have slowed tabulation of final election results."
A statement by British Foreign Secretary Mr David Milliban and Secretary of State for International Development Mr Douglas Alexander said: "We are disturbed at the violence surrounding the elections. The British government calls for an end to the violence, respect for the democratic process and for all Kenya's political leaders to act responsibly.
"This is a pivotal moment for Kenya. It is vital that the entire election process meets the expectations of the Kenyan electorate."
Meanwhile, the National Convention Executive Council, NCEC expressed shock over the incidents of violence and looting that took place in Kisumu, Eldoret, Kericho, Mombasa and Nairobi.
NCEC admonished ECK for incompetence and being sources of delay in releasing elections results.
"NCEC finds it irresponsible, reckless and tantamount to incitement for the top leadership of both ODM and PNU to purport to announce their individual results.
"It is an unfortunate and embarrassing for this country that leaders can be that greedy and hungry for political power to the extent of gambling with people's lives.
It said that all electoral irregularities and complaints lodged with the ECK by the aggrieved parties must be thoroughly investigated within the shortest time possible and justice done satisfactorily.
"Since the electoral laws do not give a defined limit for the hearing of petitions, there should not be a situation where a case goes on in court for years before it is determined."
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
