(NPR) -- Kenyans on Monday held their presidential vote. Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta are the top two contenders.
Kenyans were growing increasingly frustrated that the announcements of public vote tallies ceased close to 48 hours after polls closed. The breakdown of the electronic vote system has meant less than half of preliminary results were released. Officials — who have been working to ensure violence doesn't break out this election — are calling for patience.
"The delay is giving rise to conspiracy theories. People are panicking about the delay in the results of the elections. But unlike last election there is a level of restraint," said Kevin Muriunge, a 25-year-old student.
Referring to long voting lines during Monday's vote, Alojz Peterle, a former president of Slovenia and the chief observer in the European Union observer mission, said that Kenyans have demonstrated they are capable of great patience.
"But even more patience is called for now," he said.
The election commission chairman announced late Tuesday that hundreds of thousands of ballots that were rejected for not following the rules would be counted in the overall vote total. That makes it very difficult, given the tight race, for either top candidate to reach the 50 percent mark needed to win outright.
Election observers from around the world said Wednesday that Kenya carried out a credible election Monday, but the groups reserved final judgments until the election process is completed. Some observers said it appeared a runoff between Odinga and Kenyatta is likely.
The partial preliminary results on Tuesday had shown an early lead for Kenyatta. Odinga's camp told supporters that the votes from his strongholds had not yet all been tallied.
The statement from Kenyatta's coalition Wednesday implied that the British high commissioner pressured the commission to make the decision on the spoiled ballots, thus ensuring a runoff.
John Stremlau, an election observer with The Carter Center, the body run by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, said that it might be better for Kenyatta's coalition to use "foreign powers" as a whipping post than attacking Kenyans.
"It does seem to me to be a mindset of the old colonial era that the foreign powers would be dictating to the (election commission) in any way," Stremlau said, adding later: "There are going to be accusations in every election ... and they must be backed by evidence. Show the proof and let the judges decide and we'll all be better off."
Franklin Bett, an official in Odinga's party, echoed that statement. "Talk is easy. Let them come with the evidence," he said.
William Ruto, Kenyatta's running mate, on Tuesday had also blamed "foreign missions" for swaying the electoral commission on its ballot decision. The decision "is meant to deny us a first-round win," Ruto was quoted as saying.
Kenya is the lynchpin of East Africa's economy and plays a vital security role in the fight against Somali militants. The U.S. Embassy in Kenya is the largest in Africa, indicating this country's importance to U.S. foreign policy.
The U.S. has warned of "consequences" if Kenyatta is to win, as have several European countries. Because Kenyatta is an ICC indictee, the U.S. and Europe have said they might have to limit contact with him, even if he is president.
Aisha Abdullahi, the commissioner for political affairs at the African Union, said it was good that Kenyan officials had planned for a backup system — the physical tallies of votes — given the breakdown in the electronic transmission system. He blamed the break-down on a failure of central computer servers.
"Yes, we in Africa are trying to catch up with you guys with electronic things. We are not yet as proficient as Western Europe or North America," said Festus Mogae in response to a question from a European reporter. Mogae is a former president of Botswana and head of the Commonwealth observer mission.
"That it's failed is no surprise to me. It often does in our countries."
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Associated Press reporter Rodney Muhumuza contributed to this report.
Kenyans were growing increasingly frustrated that the announcements of public vote tallies ceased close to 48 hours after polls closed. The breakdown of the electronic vote system has meant less than half of preliminary results were released. Officials — who have been working to ensure violence doesn't break out this election — are calling for patience.
"The delay is giving rise to conspiracy theories. People are panicking about the delay in the results of the elections. But unlike last election there is a level of restraint," said Kevin Muriunge, a 25-year-old student.
Referring to long voting lines during Monday's vote, Alojz Peterle, a former president of Slovenia and the chief observer in the European Union observer mission, said that Kenyans have demonstrated they are capable of great patience.
"But even more patience is called for now," he said.
The election commission chairman announced late Tuesday that hundreds of thousands of ballots that were rejected for not following the rules would be counted in the overall vote total. That makes it very difficult, given the tight race, for either top candidate to reach the 50 percent mark needed to win outright.
Election observers from around the world said Wednesday that Kenya carried out a credible election Monday, but the groups reserved final judgments until the election process is completed. Some observers said it appeared a runoff between Odinga and Kenyatta is likely.
The partial preliminary results on Tuesday had shown an early lead for Kenyatta. Odinga's camp told supporters that the votes from his strongholds had not yet all been tallied.
The statement from Kenyatta's coalition Wednesday implied that the British high commissioner pressured the commission to make the decision on the spoiled ballots, thus ensuring a runoff.
John Stremlau, an election observer with The Carter Center, the body run by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, said that it might be better for Kenyatta's coalition to use "foreign powers" as a whipping post than attacking Kenyans.
"It does seem to me to be a mindset of the old colonial era that the foreign powers would be dictating to the (election commission) in any way," Stremlau said, adding later: "There are going to be accusations in every election ... and they must be backed by evidence. Show the proof and let the judges decide and we'll all be better off."
Franklin Bett, an official in Odinga's party, echoed that statement. "Talk is easy. Let them come with the evidence," he said.
William Ruto, Kenyatta's running mate, on Tuesday had also blamed "foreign missions" for swaying the electoral commission on its ballot decision. The decision "is meant to deny us a first-round win," Ruto was quoted as saying.
Kenya is the lynchpin of East Africa's economy and plays a vital security role in the fight against Somali militants. The U.S. Embassy in Kenya is the largest in Africa, indicating this country's importance to U.S. foreign policy.
The U.S. has warned of "consequences" if Kenyatta is to win, as have several European countries. Because Kenyatta is an ICC indictee, the U.S. and Europe have said they might have to limit contact with him, even if he is president.
Aisha Abdullahi, the commissioner for political affairs at the African Union, said it was good that Kenyan officials had planned for a backup system — the physical tallies of votes — given the breakdown in the electronic transmission system. He blamed the break-down on a failure of central computer servers.
"Yes, we in Africa are trying to catch up with you guys with electronic things. We are not yet as proficient as Western Europe or North America," said Festus Mogae in response to a question from a European reporter. Mogae is a former president of Botswana and head of the Commonwealth observer mission.
"That it's failed is no surprise to me. It often does in our countries."
___
Associated Press reporter Rodney Muhumuza contributed to this report.
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