By Xinhua
Nairobi : The European Union (EU) said Tuesday it would deploy 150 observers to monitor Kenya’s general elections set for next month.
Addressing a news conference here, head of the EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) Alexander Graf Lambsdorff said the team, which would be deployed at electoral stations across the nation, would assess all aspects of the electoral process.
“We are here in the spirit of cooperation with Kenya and see these elections as an opportunity to further strengthen the country’s democratic process,” Lambsdorff told.
He said the team would also assess the extent to which the elections comply with international and regional standards, as well as with domestic laws and would base their report on evidence rather than rumours.
“Kenya set a high standard for the region with its elections in 2002. Now it is the responsibility of the leadership in all political parties and the Electoral Commission of Kenya to maintain this standard and ideally raise it higher,” Lambsdorff said.
About 14 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots in Kenya’s presidential and legislative elections scheduled for Dec 27, which will be the fourth since the east African nation reverted to pluralism in 1992.
Four presidential candidates have entered the final leg of their campaigns, including incumbent President Mwai Kibaki, former roads minister Raila Odinga, who leads the latest opinion polls, former foreign minister Kalonzo Musyoka and city evangelist Pius Muiru.
Analysts have described the election as a watershed since it pits Kibaki against former allies such as Musyoka and Odinga, whom he fired in 2005 for successfully campaigning against government-backed constitutional reforms.
“It is important that people can exercise their right to vote freely and that candidates are able to campaign in a peaceful, secure environment in which there is a level playing field,” Lambsdorff said.
He said the EU observer teams will be holding several meetings with government officials, election administrators, candidates, political parties, the media, civil society organizations and others involved in the elections.
“The EU EOM will work independently to offer an impartial, balanced and informed analysis of the elections. All observers will remain neutral and will work under an internationally accepted code of conduct and in accordance with the Kenyan code of conduct for election observation,” he said.
The official campaigns are yet to begin in the east African nation which has enjoyed relative calmness for many decades in a continent ravaged by conflicts and political turmoil.
President Kibaki is banking on a strong economic growth record for his re-election bid. The east African nation has recorded impressive economic growth since Kibaki took power in 2002 when growth was just 0.6 percent.
The economy is projected to grow by at least 7 percent in 2007 after a 6 percent growth last year.
Observers argued that Musyoka, despite being placed a distant third at the polls, may gain parliamentary strength after the elections due to his popularity in eastern Kenya.