KENYA
Splitting Hairs
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga deepened the country’s ongoing political crisis with the surprise announcement that he’s backing out of the nation’s do-over presidential elections just two weeks before votes are slated to be cast.
Odinga said we was dropping out because he couldn’t be sure the Oct. 26 poll would be free, fair and credible. He also demanded new elections, citing a 2013 Supreme Court decision that calls for the cancellation of polls if a major candidate dies or drops out, NPR reported. But lawyers for President Uhuru Kenyatta say other regulations mandate that if one of only two candidates drops out of the race, the remaining candidate is automatically declared the winner.
NPR quoted an expert on Kenyan constitutional law as saying that the document clearly supports Kenyatta’s position. That means the issue is less of legality than legitimacy – which could prove dangerous.
More than 30 people were killed during protests following the disputed Aug. 8 election, and post-election tribal violence left more than 1,000 Kenyans dead in 2007 and 2008.
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