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Kenya parties jostle for support
14/01/2008 08:11 - (SA)
Bogonko Bosire
Nairobi - Rival Kenyan political parties jostled for support on Monday ahead of a flashpoint re-opening of parliament amid the devastating crisis spurred by the disputed presidential election.
With more than 700 people already killed in the violence that followed the December 27 re-election of President Mwai Kibaki, Kenyans were bracing for more possible violence this week as the opposition planned to go ahead with three days of nationwide demonstrations beginning on Wednesday despite a police ban.
Kibaki was due to open the country's 10th parliament on Tuesday, setting the stage for the first post-election show of political strength as parliamentarians elect one of their own to the powerful post of parliament speaker.
With none of the major parties having a majority of seats, they had been furiously wooing smaller parties ahead of the vote.
Kibaki 'stole election'
Opposition leader Raila Odinga and his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which claimed Kibaki stole the presidential election by vote fraud, won the most seats in the parliamentary elections also held on December 27, capturing 99 of the chamber's 222 seats.
Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU) won 43 seats and an allied party 16 seats.
The speaker's election required a two-third majority for the first two rounds, but required only a simple majority if the vote moved to a third round.
Four candidates had entered the race, with the government side supporting the re-election of veteran speaker Francis ole Kaparo, while the opposition was fronting MP-elect Kenneth Marende.
"We are convinced that we are going to get enough numbers to elect a neutral speaker who will serve the house without favour. We are appealing to all political parties and individual MPs who love peace to support us," said Mutula Kilonzo, a spokesperson for the government side.
Parliamentary session expected to be stormy
Both the PNU and its ally, and the ODM began holding separate meetings on Sunday to plan for the opening of parliament.
"We are going for a retreat to seek ways that would enable ODM's candidate to win. We have the numbers, but we will not take chances," ODM member William Ruto told the Daily Nation newspaper.
Ruto rejected the widely-held view that by attending the opening of parliament, convened by Kibaki, the opposition was in effect recognising the legitimacy of his presidency.
Ruto said: "We are not going to sit back and allow them install a speaker who will pave the way for the illegitimacy to continue."
Although the parliamentary session was expected to be stormy, the three days of nationwide demonstrations called by Odinga's ODM from Wednesday that had been banned by the government had even more potential to spark fresh violence.
Nationwide rioting that erupted after the swearing in of Kibaki on December 30 rapidly descended into tribal clashes, leaving at least 700 people dead and displacing nearly 260 000.
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