Kenyan Count Halted, Victor Declared Amid Unrest

President Mwai Kibaki beat left-wing opposition rival Raila Odinga by a narrow margin to win re-election in Kenya’s closest ever vote, the head of the country’s electoral commission (ECK) said on Sunday.

Thousands of pro-opposition protesters immediately launched angry demonstrations, burning shacks in the capital’s Kibera slum. Mr. Odinga has accused the government of widespread rigging – allegations that had already fuelled two days of ethnic riots.

The dubious conclusion of the most fiercely-fought elections in Kenya’s history has pitched the country into chaos. Western observers said that Kenya’s election commission ignored clear evidence of vote rigging to keep the government in power.

There were scuffles at the counting centre in Nairobi as party rivals demanded recounts of Thursday’s vote.

Officials suspended the count until Sunday. The delays have already sparked violence and looting across Kenya, with at least three deaths reported.

Latest figures suggest that President Mwai Kibaki is now neck and neck with his opponent Raila Odinga.

The European Union’s election observer, Alexander Lambsdorff, said there was a massive question mark over the tallying of votes.

Posted by Dilated_Rebel
Born and raised very humbly in a “small town” in southern California, I was a product of different worlds. Literally, part of my family descends from Mexico the rest from Portugal and Uruguay. This mixture had kept me from supporting any racist psyche found...