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Odinga Rejects Kenyan President's Election Win as 'Sham'

by VOA News

   NAIROBI, KENYA --

   Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga called the presidential election
   results a "sham" Tuesday, in his first public statement since incumbent
   Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner.

   In a much-anticipated televised address, Odinga said that the
   opposition would pursue "economic boycotts, peaceful procession,
   picketing and other legitimate forms of protest," to reject the results
   of an election he called meaningless.

   He made no mention of contesting the election in court.

   With eight candidates listed on the ballot, Kenyatta attained almost
   7.5 million votes, or roughly 98 percent of the overall tally.

   Last Thursday's election was a re-run of the August 8 presidential
   vote. The Kenyan Supreme Court nullified Kenyatta's victory in that
   poll, ruling that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission
   (IEBC) had not followed electoral law and the constitution.

   Odinga urged supporters to boycott the new election, after his demands
   for a longer postponement and an overhaul of the electoral commission
   were turned down.

   The IEBC said 39 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the
   October 26 election, compared to nearly 80 percent in the original
   election in August.

   [Jill Craig in Nairobi contributed to this report]