Kenyan Supreme Court to decide on legality of presidential election rerun
Today, Kenya’s Supreme Court will rule on the validity of last month’s rerun presidential election, which was boycotted by opposition leader Raila Odinga.
The October 26 election was the second such vote in three months; one on August 8 was nullified by the Supreme Court due to a premature declaration of victory and a lack of electoral transparency Incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta won both votes.
Should the Supreme Court annul the most recent election, Kenya’s electorate would be asked to go to the polls for the third time this year and the country’s political violence would be prolonged. Mr Odinga would undoubtedly continue his demands for a purging of the electoral commission’s top brass, a demand that is somewhat unlikely to be met in full, as there are few experienced replacements.
If the Court upholds the election, President Kenyatta would be sworn in shortly thereafter, though the opposition would undoubtedly protest the decision. Given investor concerns about a possible Odinga presidency––as his economic views are ill-defined –– another term for the investment-friendly incumbent would contribute some stability to Africa’s largest economy, which has largely stagnated over the last year.
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