Kenyan Poll Annulment: African Union Praises “Major Democratic Leap Forward”

AU Chairman, President Alpha Condé, spoke to Cameroon Tribune in Yinchuan, China, on September 7, 2017.

The African Union, AU, has hailed the September 1, 2017 ruling by the Kenyan Supreme Court annulling results of the August 8, 2017 presidential poll that saw incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta re-elected for a second term. The court said the electoral commission violated the Constitution and consequently ordered a fresh contest within 60 days between Uhuru Kenyatta and his runner-up, Raila Odinga.

In an exclusive interview with Cameroon Tribune on September 7, 2017 in the Chinese city of Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Ethnic Autonomous Region, Prof. Alpha Condé, Guinea Conakry President and Chair of the African Union, praised the decision by Kenya’s Supreme Court. “Africa has made a major democratic leap forward by this ruling,” he stated. Alpha Condé said he urged all candidates before the polls to ensure that everything passed off peacefully, transparently and in tranquility, given what happened in 2007. 

On the political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, the AU Chair said the organization is working hard to resolve it. “The DRC is the heartbeat of Africa, sharing borders with 9 countries. Any internal conflict will have a huge impact on the continent. We are therefore very concerned about the situation. I am in contact with the Chairman of the African Union Commission, DRC President Joseph Kabila and the opposition to assist this great nation to smoothly continue its democratic march,” he explained.

The Guinea Conakry leader...