Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto was able to hold on to a lead over longtime opposition leader Raila Odinga. Election officials had said they could not “take ownership” of the results, citing an “opaque” process.
Kenya’s electoral commission chair announced that Deputy President William Ruto won the tight presidential race.
The announcement came just minutes after four out of seven election officials said on Monday they rejected the imminent, highly anticipated announcement.
“We cannot take ownership of the result that will be announced,” Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) vice chair Juliana Cherera told reporters, saying the process was “opaque.”
The scene quickly descended into chaos, with scuffles breaking. Footage showed a man throwing a podium off the stage and diplomats were reportedly whisked out of the tallying hall.
The development came as the IEBC neared a constitutional deadline to announce the results of a close presidential race.
The August 9 election saw two candidates run almost neck-and-neck — Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
A tally published by the mass-circulation Daily Nation newspaper showed, based on results from more than 80% of constituencies, that Ruto was edging ahead.
The incumbent deputy president was leading with slightly more than 51% of the vote, while Odinga had 48%.
All eyes were on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Monday as it came under pressure to declare the results from 290 constituencies.
Under Kenya’s constitution, the IEBC has up to seven days to announce the results, meaning that they must be out by Tuesday at the latest.
For a candidate to win the presidential race, they need to receive 50%+1 of the votes.
Besides electing the president, Kenyans last week cast their votes for some 1,882 legislators and local officials.
The election saw a low turnout, with about 65% of the 22.1 million registered voters casting their ballots, according to the IEBC. The turnout in the 2017 election was nearly 80%. (DW)