Raila Odinga has rejected the results of Kenya’s presidential election saying that the figures announced on Monday were “null and void”.
According to the official results, Mr Odinga narrowly lost to Deputy President William Ruto.
According to BBC reports, Mr Odinga accused the head of the electoral body of a “blatant disregard of the constitution”.
Making his remarks in front of supporters in the capital, Nairobi, he said that there was “neither a legally elected winner nor a president-elect”.
The 77-year-old long-time opposition leader was running for president for the fifth time. He has challenged the results in the previous two elections, including successfully in 2017.
This time round, the chairman of the electoral body Wafula Chebukati said he got 48.8% of the vote in last Tuesday’s election compared to Mr Ruto’s 50.5%.
Mr Odinga accused Mr Chebukati of “gross impunity” saying his team will pursue all legal options. He called his declaration “a major setback” to Kenya’s democracy that could trigger a political crisis.
He said that Mr Chebukati went against the law by announcing the result without the backing of his fellow commissioners. But an ally of Mr Ruto, Musalia Mudavadi, said that commissioners are required to collate the results but do not determine the result.
This is a legal point that may in the end have to be tested in court.
/BBC
