- Title: Kenya opposition leader rejects election results displayed so far
- Date: 9th August 2017
- Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (AUGUST 9, 2017) (REUTERS) WIDE OF JUBILEE PARTY SPOKEPERSON RAPHAEL TUJU TALKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) JUBILEE PARTY SECRETARY GENERAL, RAPHAEL TUJU, SAYING: "When you are on the lead, you have to be more generous because we understand the levels of emotions they are trying to deal with at this particular moment and time especially when they had campaigned on the basis they should win but there can only be one winner and they had also campaigned on the basis that they were so far ahead, I mean there was a time they were talking being far ahead as much as 70%, now that is not the case as we all know, so we understand how much pain they must be having and we are being very generous about it." VARIOUS OF NATIONAL TALLYING CENTER SCREEN SHOWING PROVISIONAL RESULTS
- Embargoed: 23rd August 2017 14:22
- Keywords: ELECTION OPPOSITION COALITION RAILA ODINGA REJECTION
- Location: NAIROBI, KENYA
- City: NAIROBI, KENYA
- Country: Kenya
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA0026TFORIF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Kenya opposition leader Raila Odinga said on Wednesday morning (August 9) he rejects results that have been displayed by the election commission from Tuesday's vote, raising fears that his supporters could mount street protests.
"They (the results) are fictitious, they are fake," he told a news conference, saying the election board was required by law to display forms signed by party observers from each polling center certifying the results and had not done so.
Instead, the election board was displaying a running tally on its website that showed Kenyatta leading with 55 percent of the vote after nearly three-quarters of polling stations had reported results.
Odinga rejected those numbers, saying Kenyatta's lead had been suspiciously constant since tallying began and did not jibe with what his own party agents were telling him.
"We have our projections from our agents which show we are ahead by far," he said.
Under Kenyan law, results from each polling station should be recorded on a form that is signed by observers from each party in the polling station, then posted by the election board on a public website. The measure is supposed to help ensure the elections are not rigged and parties can cross-check results.
Odinga ran in the last two elections, lost and blamed rigging after the vote was marred by irregularities. In 2007, his call for protests sparked ethnic violence that killed 1,200 people. In 2013, he quelled clashes by taking his concerns to court.
This time, he invoked the unsolved torture and murder of a top election official days before the vote to justify his fears of rigging. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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