Kisumu — The French government will stick to the European Union (EU) position of 'essential contact only' if an inductee of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is elected Kenya's president.
Even though French ambassador Etienne de Poncins says Kenyans have a right to elect a president of their choice, he made it clear that the electorate should not to expose the country to undue consequences.
Poncins, who was in Kisumu to meet civil society groups, says France is a member of the Rome Statute and their policy is to limit contact to persons indicted by the ICC.
"It is Kenyans who will decide its leaders but those decisions have consequences... the position of France is clear that we only have essential contact with people who are indicted by the ICC," he told journalists.
He says his country is interested in the election process but not the results.
The ambassador says they want a free, fair and transparent election without violence as witnessed in the last general election.
"The process is important and we are not going to take sides on any coalition. We are not here to interfere but to facilitate and express support regarding the process," he said.
On Thursday, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson appeared to contradict the stand taken by President Barrack Obama on Kenya's March 4 polls, with a caution that the choice of president "would have global consequences."
Speaking from Washington via a phone link with reporters at the United States embassy in Nairobi, Carson warned that as much as the general election was a Kenyan affair, its outcome would have implications since a president "must work with the international community."
"Individuals have reputations; individuals have images, histories and reputations. When they are selected to lead their countries those reputations do not go away from them, they are not separated" Carson cautioned.
Jubilee coalition's presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto are facing charges of crimes against humanity following the post election violence of 2007/8.
The French envoy said that the EU has been supportive of electoral reforms facilitating the donation of Biometric Voter Registration kits from their side and support also from Canada.
He called upon the political leaders to commit to holding a free and fair election.
"I think it should be something important for political leaders to commit themselves in holding free, fair elections. It is their responsibility to make this pledge" he said.
He proposed that the presidential candidates should make a public pledge during the upcoming presidential debate to commit to a free election exercise.
He says that the commitment should include how to deal with a dispute and concede defeat following the election outcome.
"Those disputes should go through judiciary, legal perspective and not through violence," he said.
Poncins says that the international community has faith in the judiciary after it underwent rigorous reforms and they will be capable to handle any election dispute.
He said the presidential candidates should be ready to concede defeat as part of the democracy noting that is it not easy to accept defeat but very important for democracy as it creates a condition for a peaceful process.
"This is not a legal requirement but a moral requirement for good democracy," he said.
Ojwang Joe also contributed to this report.
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AS WE LISTEN TO THE HYPOCRISY OF THE FRENCH ESPECIALLY WHEN IT CAME TO THE IVORIANS? THEY OVERTHREW A LEGAL GOVERNMENT5 WITH THE USE OF A ALLEGEDLY LEGAL ORGANISATION FULL OF DEMOCRATIC IDEALS; YET THESE DIEALS WENT OUT THE WINDOW DURING BOTH THE LIBYAN AMND IVORIAN CRISIS!!!! LEGITMATELY RETURNED TO OFFICE BY THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT IF THE WEST HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT THEY THEN HAD TO TAKE IT TO THE COURT WHICH THEY DID NOT. YES , THERE WAS NO APPEAL WE MUST AGREE THAT MR. GBAGBNO DID ASK THE WEST TO RECOUNT THE VOTES AS THERE WAS DISPARIRTIES WITH COUNTS FROM PLACES WHERE THE COUNT WAS TO EXAGGERTAED FRO THE POPULATION. WITH LIBYA WE SAW THE ICC INDICT COLONEL AGADAFFI WHEN THERE WAS NO CRIMES COMMITTED EVEN AFTER IT WAS PROVEN THAT WHAT THEY WENT TO THE UN FOR WAS A TOTAL LIE DEISGNED BY THE WEST FRANCE AND THE USA IN PARTICULAR SO THEY COULD SPREAD THEIR HEGEMONIC WINGS IN AFRICA. THWE RSULT OF THESE TWO AFFAIRS IS FARNCE ONCE AGAIN SPEARHEADING WARS IN AFRICA BPOMBING AWAY DESTROYING PROPERTY TAKING LIFE AS IF THEY WERE BRON AN MANDATED TO DO THIS. THESE NATO COUNTRIES LIKE TO ABUSE LAWS AND DICTATE POLICY. THERE IS NO EVEIDENCE TO TAKE ANY ONE FROM AFRICA TO COURT WHEN WE CANT EVEN HGET THE ZIONIST TO STOP MURDERING AND COMMITTING GENOCIDE IN ISRAEL . WE NOTE THAT BUSH BLAIR ARE TWO WAR CRIMINALS NOT TO EMNTION THE TYRANT OBAMA WHO STRESSES THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO FREEDOPM OF SPEECH IN AMERICA THERE SHOULD BE NO OPPOSSITION TO THE DRONE STRIKESWHICH ARE THE MOST I;LLEGAL OF ALL VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL LAWS". I FIND IT QUITE ODD THAT WE HAVE AFRICAN MEMBER STATES WHOM ARE SEEKING TO USE DEMOCRATIC VBALUES TO ENHANCE THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE BUT THE WAYS OF THE COLONIAL AND ENSLAVERS PAST RULE SHADOWS OVER AFRICA DEEPLY. THE DICTATORSHIP THAT THEY USED IN AFRICA THE AUTHJORITARIANISM THE ENSLAVEMENT IS SO DEEPLY INBEDDED INTHE LEADERS OF WHOM HAD WESTERN EDUCATIONS. WHAT WE SEE IS ASSIMILATION NOT WANTING TO MOVE FAR AWAY FROM THIER POLICIES THEY DO NOT WANT TO BREAK THE MOLD THAT ENSLAVES THEM. "AFRICA IS THE FIRST AND OLDEST CONTINENT' OUR FORFATHERS HAS LEFT US LARGER THAN LIFE LEGACIES"; EVERYSINGLE THOUGHT OR IDEA THAT WE SEE TODAY WAS MANIFESTED BY OUR FOREFATHERS. WHAT THE WEST WANTS US TO BELIEVE IS THAT WE ONLY CAME INTO BEING AS LATE AS THEY DIDAND THEY ARE OUR SUPERIORS???? THEY ONLY LEFT OUT OF DARKNESS OVER THE PAST FIVE HUNDRED YEARS'. UP TILL THEN THEY THOUGHT THE EARTH WAS FLAT!!!. WE HAVE BEEN CIRCUMNAVIGATING THE PLANET FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS!!!!!!. WHAT WE ARE HEARING FROM A WEST WHO IS DOING EVERYTHING TO DENY BLACK UNITY ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE FRANCOFONE STATES THEY WANT THEM TO BE FRENCH AND NOT AFRICAN THER BY PAYING THEIR WAY INFRANCE WHILE DISREGARDING THE RICH AND WEALTHY CONTINENT THAT WE HAVE> IT IS OUR DUTY TO ELECT WHOM IT IS WE WISH AND SHOULD WE WISH TO EXCUSE OURSELVES FROM THE ICC;' WE HAVE PERFECT RIGHT TO DO SO!!. THE ICC IS NOT BOLIGATORY WHEN IT COMES TO HUMANITY THE AFRICAN CONTINENT DID NOT HAVE A RESOLUTION TO ENTER THIS KANGAROO COURT??? THE MAJOURITY OF OF THE ONE BILLION PEOPLE IN AFRICA WOULD HAVE TO HAD VOTED TO WANT TO ENTER AND BECOME PART OF THIS FALSE AMD HYPOCRITICAL COURT. AGAIN I SAY TO ALL AFRICA ;"IT IS YOUR DUTY TO TRAIN AND REACH THE HIGHEST PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS' THAT IS EXPECTED IN JUDICIAL JURISPRUDENCE".' SHOULD WE ALWAYS WANT TO RELY ON THE EUUROPEANS TO FIGHT AND GIVE US THIER JUSTICE WE WILL REMAIN BACKWARDS AND IN A DARK CAVITY. AS AFRICA EXPANDS EVOLVES BOTH INTELLECTUALY MORALY ECONOMICALY WE FIND THAT WE ARE ABLE TO SOLVE CREATE FIND UNDERWRITE OUR OWN POLCIIES OUR OWN DESTINATIONS OUR OWN ECONOMICS OUR OWN POLITICS, THE WEST WANTS US TO BELIVE THAT WE ARE LIGHT YEARS AWAY THEY STILL FOSTER MYTHJS ILLUSIONS STEREOTYPES THAT ARE OBSOLETE FANTASY, BORN OF HATE RACE ETHNICITY DISCRIMINATIONS BIAS AND ALL THAT WHITE SUPEIRORITY COMPLEXES BRINGS TO THE TABLE!!!!!.. THEY HAVE BEEN WRONG ABOUT AFRICA, AFRICANS, HISTORY BIOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY AND EVERYTHING ELSE ;SO WE KNOW THEY ARE WRONG ABOUT THIS ICC.." WE DO NOT NEE3D IT IT IS AN UNFAIR KANGAROO JUDICIAL PROCCESS THAT IS DESIGNATED FOR AFRICANS TO BE PUNISHED AND WHITES NEVER TO BE QUESTIONED !!!!! WHY SHOULD WE FEEL ANY WAY ABOUT DISLODGEING ORUSELVES FROM SUCH A TARNISHED AND UNSCRUPULOUS INSTITUTION????????/ THEY MAKE ME LAUGH WHEN THEY SPEAK ABOUT REPUTATIONS HERE THEY ARE RIPPING OFF THE WORLDS ECONOMIES OVERTHROWING GOVERNMENTS AT WILL AND THEY WANT US TO WORRY ABOUT REPUTATIONS!! HA HA ; WHAT THEY WANT US BE IS THEIR LACKIES!!!!!????.. THERE IS A MAJOUR DISCONNECT HERE WE HAVE CERTAIN LEADERS IN AFRICA WHO FEELS THAT THEY ARE INVINCIBLE WHEN THEY HAVE THESE NATO AT THIER SIDE !! THEY FORGET ONE MAJOUR PROBLEM THEY ARE NOT THE " ALLMIGHTY GOD" THEY WANT TO IMAGINE THEMSELVES TO BE!!! THEY HAVE COME INTO AFRICA AND GIVEN THE BLACK MAN THIER VERSION OF HUMANITY WHICH IS SO RIDICULOUS WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TRUTH; ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO WHITES GIVING BIRTH TO THOSE WITH BLACK SKIN AND MELANIN IT COULD NEVER HAPPEN OS IT MAKES ALL THIER STORIES MYTHS!!!!!!!. IT MAKES THIUER WHITE MAN GOD WITH BLUE EYES BLONDE HAIR FANCIFUL ESPECIALLY WHEN WE SEE TWO BLACK PEOPLE GIVING BIRTH TO THESE GREAT ARYAN BE;LIEFS OF WHITE SUPREMACY!!!! WE HAVE NEVER EVER SEEN TWO WHITE BLUE EYED BLONDE HAIR GIVE BIRTH TO A BLACK SKIN MELANIN CHILD /EVER NEVER!!!!!! SO LET US FORGET THE FAIRY TALES WE ARE SUPERIROR AS WE GAVE BIRTH TO THEM NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND TIMES AND THOUGHTS HAVE CHANGED AND WE ARE NOT ON THE SAME PAGE AS THEM" "THIS THE BIRHT OF THE BLACK RENASCIENCE" THE EMERGENCE OF BLACK PRIDE BLACK DEVELOPMENT WE DO NOT HAVE TO BE GREEDY OR CORRUPT THE WEALTH IS SO ENOURMOUS THAT EVEN AG FTER WE HAVE GIVEN ALL OUR CITISENS MILLIONS THERE IS STILL CAZILLIONS' LEFT FOR THE ECONOMY. AFRICA VOTE WITH YOUR HEARTS WHO YOU LOVE AND WHO LOVES YOU WE AHVE BEEN HEARING ALOT OF TALK FROM THE WEST AND THIER INTERNATIONAL; KANGAROO COURT !!! NO ONE HAS BEEN CONVICTED BUT WHAT I SEE IS THAT THEY DO NTO WANT CERTAIN TYPES OF MAN TO RUN AFRICAN COUNTRIES THY WANT THOSE THEY CAN BULLY AND SEDUCE WITH BRIBES AND LIES THOSE THAT MAKES DEALS WITH OUT SPEAKING TO THE PEOPLE FIRST, THESE ARE WHOM THEY WANT. THEY WANT TO EB ABLE TO COME INTO AFRICA " THE ARMY IS NOW HOMOSEXUAL SO THEY WILL SNED THESE PREDATORS A,MONMGST OUR CHILDREN. THEY ARE EVERYTHING WE HEAR OF AN EVEN MORE WORST THAN WE CAN IMAGINE.." WHEN EVER YOU HEAR SOME ONE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT PLAYING UP IN DU DU AND SAME SEX MARRIAGE AND ALL THOSE INQUITIES ,ABOMINATIONS THERE IS SOMETHING DRASTICALLY WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "PEACE AN LOVE TO ALL KENYANS" VOTE WWITH YOUR HEARTS AND WHO YOU LOVE'; WE HAVE AMBASADORS TO SPEAK TO THOSE WHO DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOKEN TO' SIMPLE!!!!!!!! AFRICA MUST NOT DIVERT FROM ITS DESTINY THE WHITE WORLD NEVER EXPECTED TO SEE AFRICA WHERE IT IS TODAY', SO THEY ARE PANICING! THEY WANT TO START AS MUCH TROUBLE IN AFRICA AS POSSIBLE. "LEAVE THE COLONIAL PAST WHERE IT SHOULD BE' IN THE CEMETARY DEAD AND BURIED" " FORWARD EVER BACKWARDS NEVER"!!!!!!!!!