Nairobi (dpa) – Kenya's electoral commission on Saturday set March 4, 2013 as the date for presidential elections – the first since December 2007 when post-election violence threatened to rip the country apart. There was widespread support for another December date, including from Prime Minister Raila Odinga, but commission head Issack Hassan said that, for this to happen, the coalition government would have to agree to dissolve before the end of its mandate on January 14, 2013. No such agreement was reached. Kenya was plunged into chaos when Odinga accused his rival, President Mwai Kibaki, of rigging the 2007 poll. More than 1,000 people died in tribal-tinged violence that only ended in March 2008 when Odinga agreed to take up the post of premier in a coalition government. Odinga is one of the frontrunners for the next election, although he will face stiff competition from Uhuru Kenyatta despite the fact that the son of Kenya's first president is facing trial in the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC accuses Kenyatta and three other Kenyans, including potential kingmaker and former Odinga ally William Ruto, of directing the violence. All protest their innocence, and Ruto and Kenyatta say they will still contest the polls. Fears of repeated post-election violence have faded after a referendum on a new constitution passed without incident, and the peaceful acceptance of the ICC's indictment of Kenyatta and Ruto, who both command huge support from their respective tribes. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/cMV1Z Tags: Election, Kenya, President Section: East Africa, Latest News
