Kenya: Elections Fail to Meet International Standards
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Commonwealth News and Information Service (London)
PRESS RELEASE
17 January 2008
Posted to the web 17 January 2008
The Final Report of the Commonwealth Observer Group for the 2007 General Elections in Kenya states that the 'Electoral Commission of Kenya has not succeeded in establishing the integrity of the tallying process, thereby bringing the validity of the election results into question'. This was despite 'the many positive aspects of the pre-election and polling day procedures, when Kenyans came out in large numbers to vote'.
On issuing the report Don McKinnon, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, said: "The Commonwealth Observer Group has concluded that the process after the close of polling did not meet international standards".
The Secretary-General went on to say: "We were deeply saddened and troubled by the appalling incidents of violence in the wake of the elections, and the large-scale loss of life and displacement of people which followed. This underlines the importance of ensuring that the integrity of the entire process is beyond question, and it shows the consequences when that confidence is perceived as lacking".
"What is vital now is for the parties to come together to find a resolution to this grave problem. I have spoken to President Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga, making clear my distress about the violence and loss of life, encouraging dialogue, and stressing that the Commonwealth remains fully engaged and will support on-going mediation efforts."
The Commonwealth Observer Group Final Report highlights the failures of the Electoral Commission of Kenya in its handling of the results process. Looking to the future, the Secretary-General said: "It is vital that the national election management body enjoys the full confidence of all political contestants, and that it is transparent and accountable in its duties. The Commonwealth stands ready to work with Kenya to look at ways of re-constituting the Electoral Commission of Kenya along the lines of Commonwealth best practice, to ensure that political and public confidence in the body can be restored".
Relevant Links
The Report was completed and signed by all members of the Commonwealth Observer Group team prior to their departure from Kenya. It was presented to the Commonwealth Secretary-General by the leader of the Group, H.E. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, the former President of Sierra Leone. Before being made public, it has subsequently been distributed to the Government of Kenya, political parties, the Electoral Commission of Kenya and all other Commonwealth Governments.
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In the negotiations, it is almost an act of disdain to appoint Mr. Musyoka to negociate with those he is thought to have betrayed for a positon with Mr. kibaki. If he did have clout and were a credible non-self centered politician he may have been sort of acceptable.