Coalition for Reforms and Democracy has urged its backers to
remain calm and wait for the announcement of the final election results.
The alliance’s presidential running mate, Mr Kalonzo
Musyoka, on Tuesday said it was premature for Jubilee coalition to claim
victory because the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission had
not announced the final tally.
He said Cord was optimistic of emerging victorious at the end of the day.
“We note with worry that there are those amongst our
competitors who have not resisted the temptation to engage in premature
celebrations that are neither based on data nor fact,” he said at a news
conference in Nairobi.
Early results announced by IEBC indicated that Jubilee
presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta was ahead of Cord flag-bearer
Raila Odinga.
“It is important that we await the outcome of the
remaining two thirds of the polling stations in order to make any
conclusion,” said Mr Musyoka.
“Consequently, we appeal for calm and call on our
supporters to relax because we are confident that after all the votes
are in, Cord will carry the day. Results from our strongholds are yet to
be made public and once they are, things will change dramatically.
That’s basic statistics.”
However, the Vice-President raised concerns over IEBC’s delays in releasing the poll results, in areas even as close as Nairobi.
“We have raised the matter with the electoral commission
and Safaricom, the service provider, who have explained to us their
capacity to relay results from areas closer to the city like Kiambu is
much faster than far flung areas like Garissa,” he said.
He reiterated that if they lose the election “fairly” they will concede defeat and asked their competitors to do the same.
He also expressed worries over the large number of votes that have been rejected in the results announced so far.
The electoral commission has pledged to investigate the
issue. IEBC chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan said an audit would be carried
out to find out why so many voters made mistakes during voting
