Kenya’s main opposition coalition said on Wednesday it would suspend its weekly protests against the election commission to give calls for dialogue a chance. Three people were killed on Monday in clashes between demonstrators and police in Nairobi and other cities during rallies against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) led by opposition leader Raila Odinga’s CORD coalition. Clashes also flared during three other protests. The next presidential and parliamentary polls in Kenya, East Africa’s largest economy, are not due until August 2017 but politicians are already trying to galvanise supporters in a country prone to political strife. Violence erupted after the 2007 vote and the opposition disputed the outcome in 2013.
The opposition accuses the IEBC of bias and wants its commissioners to be replaced. IEBC members dismiss the charges, while the government has accused the opposition of criticising the IEBC because they cannot win via the ballot box.
On Tuesday, U.S., British and other Western ambassadors called for talks to resolve the issue.
Full Article: Kenya’s opposition suspends anti-election body protests | Top News | Reuters.
