|
Kenyan President Dissolves Parliament
Real estate news By Tom Maliti
Oct 22, 2007
President Mwai Kibaki dissolved Kenya's parliament Monday, starting the countdown to elections in December that promise to be the most closely contested in the country's history. The dissolution of parliament means members of the National Assembly no longer serve as lawmakers and Kibaki's administration continues only in a caretaker capacity, barred from making any major decisions until a new government forms. Under Kenyan law, the Electoral Commission of Kenya now must declare a date for presidential, parliamentary and local elections within 10 working days and the vote must be held within three months. "It is only through a fair and credible poll, free of violence and intimidation that the true verdict of the people will prevail," Kibaki said in a live broadcast on local television stations. "I hereby dissolve the ninth parliament of the republic of Kenya with immediate effect."
This year's election will be the first time an incumbent president has faced a credible challenge in Kenya. When Kibaki ran in 2002, then-President Daniel arap Moi was constitutionally barred from extending his 24 years in power. Moi won in 1992 and 1997 amid vote-rigging allegations. Kibaki, 75, had been the front-runner in opinion polls until this month, when he lost his lead to his main challenger, former Cabinet minister Raila Odinga. In recent opinion polls, Odinga leads by about 10 percentage points, although the volatility of Kenyan politics means the figures could fluctuate significantly.
Kenya's estimated 34 million people have witnessed significant improvements during the past four-and-a-half years of Kibaki's administration, compared with the widespread corruption of the Moi years. Economic growth reached 6.1 percent in 2006, a rate Kenya last saw in 1981. But inflation caused by the growing economy could work in the opposition's favor. The cost of living has increased and the number of jobs created each year has mostly remained stagnant. Kibaki's failure to end graft has also been a grave disappointment to Kenyans some of whom had been so emboldened by his promises at the start of his term that they started making citizen's arrests of police who demanded bribes.
Send tips or a Letter to the Editor to editor@updatere.com
|
