Oliver Mathenge
21 January 2008
Nairobi — Kenya's political freedom index has moved from "free" to "partly free" due to the events surrounding last year's polls, an international rights body has reported.
According to the Freedom House's report titled Freedom in Retreat: Is the Tide Turning?, Kenya is among countries that have recorded a decline in democratic freedom.
The aftermath surrounding the disputed presidential polls disqualified Kenya from the 'Electoral Democracy list' with the report noting that the decline was significant as the country was previously regarded as an important addition to the democratic world and a model for Africa.
The annual survey of political rights and civil liberties further notes that last year was marked by a notable setback for democracy globally, with the decline in freedom being reflected in reversals in one-fifth of the world's countries.
"The decline, which was reflected in reversals in one-fifth of the world's countries, was most pronounced in South Asia, but also reached significant levels in the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa," notes the report which was released on Wednesday.
It goes ahead to explain that the trend affected a substantial number of large and politically important countries including - Russia, Pakistan, Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, and Venezuela - whose declines have wider regional and global implications. In Africa, the report notes, the most significant decline occurred in Kenya, due to credible reports of vote-rigging in the presidential contest and the violence triggered by the official results.
"Political Rights rating declined from 3 to 4 due to significant irregularities in the December presidential election vote-counting process, which ultimately benefited incumbent President Kibaki," explains the report.
The survey also notes that the results have been disputed by the parties involved, including the Electoral Commission and international observers.
To qualify as an electoral democracy, a state must have a competitive multi-party political system with regularly contested elections conducted in conditions of ballot secrecy. It must also have reasonable ballot security in the absence of massive voter fraud that yields results that are unrepresentative of the public's will.
According to Freedom House, a "Not Free" country is one where basic political rights are absent, and basic civil liberties are widely and systematically denied, while a "Free" one is where there is broad scope for open political competition, a climate of respect for civil liberties, significant independent civic life, and independent media.
The report suggests that Kenya violated all these within the electioneering period.
Freedom House is an American based independent non-governmental organisation that supports the expansion of freedom around the world. The firm has monitored political rights and civil liberties around the world since 1972.
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