Kenyan President Slams Election Annulment as ‘Judicial Coup’

by Dramelin 9:30 AM 0 comments

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta suggested the electoral authority may change the date of the rerun of last month’s presidential election, as he slammed the Supreme Court ruling that annulled the vote as a “judicial coup.
” Supporters of Kenyatta’s ruling Jubilee Party will win the election “by casting votes on the date to be announced” by the Independent Electoral & Boundaries Commission, Kenyatta told a gathering of pastoral-community leaders in the capital, Nairobi, on Thursday.
The Star, a Nairobi-based newspaper, reported on Sept.
19 that the IEBC will propose the vote be held on Oct.
26, instead of the previously suggested date of Oct.
“Any change of election date, if there will be, will come from the commission,” IEBC spokesman Andrew Limo said by text message.
“We are exploring some options including increasing resources.
” The Supreme Court nullified the outcome of the Aug.
8 ballot, the first time a presidential election result has been legally overturned in Africa, after finding the electoral commission committed “irregularities and illegalities” and failed to conduct the vote in line with the constitution.
The court cited a litany of failures by the commission in its detailed judgment delivered on Wednesday, including that the body declared the outcome of the vote without the proper documents.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga has demanded an overhaul of the electoral authority, including the removal of Chief Executive Officer Ezra Chiloba, before he’ll take part in the rerun.
Kenyatta, who was declared the winner of the first round, said on Thursday the court has set back the democratic ideals Kenyans have sought “over many years” to attain.
“In a democratic and free nation, where citizens’ rights are to be respected, we are now being told their will doesn’t matter,” he said.
“It’s only a few individuals who can decide for the 45 million people who their leaders can be.
” Jubilee Secretary-General Raphael Tuju didn’t answer calls to his mobile phone when Bloomberg sought comment on Kenyatta’s remarks about the election date.
The IEBC is still studying the court’s detailed ruling and will respond to the judgment later, Limo said.