After election results were nullified and deemed irregular last month, Kenya has pushed back fresh presidential elections until October 26, officials said Tuesday.
“In order to ensure that the Commission is fully prepared to deliver an election that meets the standards set out by the Supreme Court, we wish to notify the public and all stakeholders that the fresh presidential election shall now be held on Thursday, 26 October 2017,” the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission said in a statement.
Fresh Presidential Election will now be held on Thursday, 26th October, 2017 pic.twitter.com/3gofQqTIK1
— IEBC (@IEBCKenya) September 21, 2017
The rerun election had been initially scheduled for October 17, but the opposition party pushed for a later date. The constitution dictates the poll take place within 60 days of the Supreme Court’s ruling, which is October 31.
Incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner of the now-nullified August 8 election, defeating opposition leader Raila Odinga by 1.4 million votes.
Kenya’s Supreme Court nullified the results of the election last month due to “irregularities and illegalities” committed by the electoral board during the vote, which the court said harmed the integrity of the election.
– VOA
