Odinga Follows Akufo-Addo�s Example

The Presidential Candidate of Kenya�s Orange Democratic Movement, Raila Odinga, is set to challenge the results of last week�s hotly contested presidential election which resulted in his main competitor, Uhuru Kenyatta, being declared winner by a tiny majority. Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Kenya�s first president, took 50.07 percent of the vote, according to IEBC figures, beating Mr. Odinga, also son of Kenya�s first vice president, by more than 800,000 votes. This decision by Mr. Odinga to seek redress in court has been hailed by many across the world, who see it as taking a cue from the decision by the 2012 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwas Akufo-Addo, to challenge the results of Ghana�s 2012 election in the Supreme Court. Team Odinga has seven days in which to make an appeal to the country�s highest court, but analysts say it is likely that the case will be presented on Tuesday or Wednesday. The Supreme Court then has two weeks to reach a decision. Before sweeping reforms to the Kenyan judiciary were implemented in the wake of the country�s new constitution, such cases could have dragged on for years. Ghana�s President, John Mahama, is known to prefer Ghana�s model which gives no determinant period for the case to be decided, the new Statesman has learnt. �All judges and magistrates will work through vacation periods, and, if necessary, will sit on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays,� said Kenya�s chief justice, Dr. Willy Mutunga. If the Supreme Court upholds the allegations, it may order a recount in those districts where the allegations have been made. With Kenyatta�s total count just over 8,000 votes above the 50 percent mark, and with around 100,000 rejected ballots, a recount in these areas could cause Kenyatta�s tally to drop below the crucial 50 percent threshold, triggering a run-off election. The court may even decide to scrap all results from the election, and order a fresh poll � a decision that would not elicit much sympathy from a nation fatigued from a lengthy campaign. If Odinga and his allies change their minds and choose not to pursue a court battle, Kenyatta will be sworn in as president on March 26. If the Supreme Court rejects the CORD petition, he will become Kenya�s fourth president on April 6. If the court upholds CORD�s case, a new election or a run-off will be held within 60 days, and the next president will be inaugurated on June 18.