Kenya: William Ruto declared winner of the presidential election, scenes of chaos at the Electoral Commission

Supporters of William Ruto, declared the winner by the chairman of the Electoral Commission, celebrate the announcement of the results, in Nairobi, Kenya, August 15, 2022. MOSA’AB ELSHAMY / AP Kenyans have been waiting for the name of their future president since six days, but the announcement of the results did not remove all doubts. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announced Monday, August 15, that William Ruto, outgoing vice-president, had won the election. According to the president of the IEBC, Wafula Chebukati, William Ruto accumulated more than 7.17 million votes, or 50.49% of the votes, against 6.94 million (48.85%) for Raila Odinga. Mr. Chebukati claimed to have suffered “intimidation and harassment”. A few minutes before her announcement, the vice-president of this independent body had warned that four of the seven members of the Commission rejected the results to come “because of the opaque nature of the process”. “People can go to court and for this reason we call on Kenyans to be peaceful because the rule of law will prevail,” added Juliana Cherera, as tension mounted and scuffles broke out in the center where the Commission (IEBC) manages the results. #Kenya The disorder is total, people fight or are fired by the riot police #Bomas… https://t.co/LLPvJKkTXs— MlleCsn (@Elodie Cousin) Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Presidential election in Kenya : William Ruto, self-proclaimed “resourceful” candidate “I will work with all political leaders, in a “transparent, open and democratic” country, assured William Ruto in his speech after the announcement of the results. “There is no room for revenge,” he continued, saying he was “fully aware” that Kenya “is at a stage where we need everyone on deck”. “It’s not over” for the Odinga camp In Eldoret, Mr. Ruto’s stronghold, a crowd of several thousand people expressed their joy. At the same time, violence erupted in some popular areas of Nairobi, including Mathare and Kibera, two strongholds of Odinga, as soon as Ruto’s victory was announced. In Kisumu, another stronghold of Odinga, the police fired tear gas at protesters. Supporters of Raila Odinga burn tires in the streets of Nairobi on August 15, 2022, chanting “Without Raila, no peace”, after the announcement of William Ruto’s victory in the presidential election. BEN CURTIS / AP During the campaign, the two candidates assured that they would respect the results of free and transparent elections, pledging to bring their possible grievances to justice. Given the small difference in votes – around 233,000 – an appeal to the Supreme Court is hardly in doubt. The Odinga camp will have seven days to deposit him. The candidate himself did not speak, but his running mate Martha Karua said on Twitter: “It’s not over until it’s over. Before her, a member of their Azimio la Umoja coalition, Saitabao Kanchory, had spoken of “hacks” and “irregularities” during the election which, according to him, is “perhaps the most badly managed in history. of our country “. Election with high stakes The Electoral Commission had been under pressure for six days. It was strongly criticized five years ago, after the invalidation of the presidential election by the Supreme Court – a first in Africa. On Friday, she acknowledged that the collection, counting and verification of results took longer than expected, slowed down, she said, by interference from political party supporters. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers In Kenya, a high-risk presidential election Some 22.1 million voters were called to the polls on August 9 to designate the successor to the outgoing president, Uhuru Kenyatta, as well as their governors, parliamentarians and some 1,500 local elected officials. The high-stakes election was shaping up to be very close. At 55, the ambitious William Ruto, despite his status as vice-president, was a challenger during the electoral campaign, facing Raila Odinga, 77, a veteran of the opposition now supported by power. High abstention The ballot was largely peaceful. With a turnout of around 65% – compared to 78% in August 2017 – it was, however, marked by a sharp rise in abstention, against a backdrop of disillusionment with the political class and the soaring cost of living since then. the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. On Sunday, going to churches in Nairobi, the capital of this very religious country, MM. Ruto and Odinga had both called for calm despite the feverishness that was rising within their respective coalitions. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers In Kenya, “no food, no elections!” : Inflation and economic distress at the heart of the presidential campaign Kenya is a democratic anchor in a troubled East African region, but it has experienced several phases of post-election violence, sometimes very deadly, notably in 2007-2008 (more than 1,100 dead, hundreds of thousands displaced). The results of all the presidential elections have, moreover, been disputed there since 2002, in the street or in court. The World with AFP