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Kenyan opposition candidate Odinga refuses to accept defeat

The defeated candidate in the Kenyan presidential election has rejected the victory of rival Mwai Kibaki, accusing him of trying to 'rob' people.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 09:05 December 31, 2007
  • Gulf News

Nairobi: The defeated candidate in the Kenyan presidential election has rejected the victory of rival Mwai Kibaki, accusing him of trying to ‘rob' people.

Raila Odinga said his party will even hold an alternative inauguration ceremony on Monday as the fallout from an election littered with accusations of vote rigging continue.

As many as 13 people were killed in rioting which followed the announcement of victory for the current president Kibaki by 230,000 votes.

After being sworn in for a second term, Kibaki said the elections had been free and fair and vowed to form a government free of corruption.

However a team of observers from the European Union has raised questions over the credibility of the poll.

Chief EU observer Alexander Lambsdorff said the Kenyan electoral commission had failed to establish “the credibility of the tallying process to the satisfaction of all parties and candidates.''
Speaking after the result was announced, Mr Odinga himself said: "There is a clique of people around Kibaki trying to rob Kenyans of the election," Mr Odinga later told his supporters after the results were announced.
"The train of democracy in Kenya is unstoppable like the flow of the Nile."
However, his speech was halted after the government suspended all live TV and radio reports.

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