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December 2, 2008 12:13:35 PM CST

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Violence as Kenyan Vote Nears

Posted Dec 25, 07 10:00 AM CST in World 

(Newser) – Kenya's presidential election remains too close to call with 48 hours to go, writes the Mail and Guardian. President Mwai Kibaki is seeking a second term but facing a stiff challenge from former ally Raila Odinga for the leadership of East Africa's bellwether nation. Yesterday police fired teargas at supporters of the two camps who began hurling stones at each other in downtown Nairobi.

Kibaki is a member of the Kikuyu ethnic group, which is dominant in Kenya, but Odinga is rallying minority groups together to present a united front. As the New York Times writes, however, electoral law might result in a surprising stalemate: Odinga stands to lose his own seat in Parliament, while Kibaki might not clear a regional hurdle. That would make both candidates ineligible to be president and plunge the country into disarray.

Sources Mail & Guardian (South Africa), New York Times

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Incumbent President Mwai Kibaki, from the Party of National Unity, waves to his supporters as he arrives at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Dec. 24, 2007 as he seeks his reelection in the Dec. 27...   (Associated Press)
Kenyans run from teargas fired by police, as supporters of the Orange Democratic Movement and the Party of National Unity clash, ahead of the Dec. 27 Presidential elections, Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Dec....   (Associated Press)
A supporter of President Mwai Kibaki, from the Party of National Unity, (PNU) with stickers reading DOMO on her lips, which means" No Empty Words", at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Dec. 24, 2007,...   (Associated Press)
Supporters of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga campaign for his election as president in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi, File)   (Associated Press)
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election • presidential election • Kenya • Mwai Kibaki • Raila Odinga • Kikuyu


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