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'Violence and fraud' in Kenya poll
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Kenyans are set to go to the polls to choose a new president this week amid an atmosphere of bribery and violence, observers say. Local election monitors are concerned at reports of "worrying levels of violence." A fire killed seven people at the home of a ruling party candidate, and a 13-year-old girl was shot dead when bodyguards belonging to a politician fired into a crowd. Arson is being considered in the fire. Western ballot monitors also fear that votes have been bought in Friday's presidential, parliamentary and local elections. The vote is only the country's third since it returned to a multi-party political system in 1991. Anders Wijkman, chief European Union poll observer, was quoted by Reuters as saying cases existed of voters' registration cards having been purchased. A survey by the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International showed that while 54 percent of Kenyans would accept a gift, only 20 percent would be influenced in their voting, Reuters said. Voters are more likely to take into account the economic policies and experience of candidates, CNN's Catherine Bond said, adding that they are expected to vote for change. Christmas on hold for ballot"There is a real sense of enthusiasm on the street for change and getting away from stories of corruption and a desire to improve the economy," Bond added. "People really hold the government responsible for the poor economy. "If you speak to people about what they are doing this Christmas, most people are saying they are arranging their holidays around the vote. They are either postponing visiting their families to stay in the area where they are registered to vote, or going away and coming back to cast their ballot. "Voting is taking precedence over Christmas this year." The election will see the end of President Daniel arap Moi's 24-year reign. Moi has been president since 1978, but constitutional rules were changed in 1992 to limit the length of time a leader could remain in power. Moi had attempted to extend his current five-year term to fit in with an inquiry by the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission which could have allowed him to stay on. But the commission announced this year that it would not finish its work on schedule and that a new Kenyan constitution would not be ready until 2003. The United States and Britain pushed for Moi to stand down. "It is the end of an era," Bond said. "There is a sense of relief, but also a feeling that he was very much linked to Kenya's identity." The 78-year-old Moi's party, the Kenya African National Union (KANU), also looks set to lose power after 39 years. The presidential race is expected to be effectively a contest between KANU's Uhuru Kenyatta and Mwai Kibaki, head of the National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (NARC). NARC was formed earlier in the year amid fears that the choice of presidential candidate would be "fixed." Moi had favoured Kenyatta against the wishes of many in his party. Kibaki is favoured to win Friday's vote. The 71-year-old, who served as vice president and finance minister in Moi's government, heads an impressive coalition of more than a dozen political parties and key figures, with many defecting from KANU. He has been leading in opinion polls, with one predicting he will attract 68 percent of the vote, and his party is forecast to secure a majority in parliament. A "tumultuous" homecoming greeted Kibaki when he returned from London after receiving medical treatment for injuries suffered in a car accident. "So is it a foregone conclusion that Kibaki's going to win? Even before his accident won him sympathy, he certainly thought so," Bond said. Kibaki is confident of securing the needed 25 percent in each of the country's eight provinces. "We'll get more than that," he said. His campaign message is: "Kenyans are paying every year 230 billion shillings in taxes, and if we take care of that money, we can maintain all the services, general services that they want." KANU's image has been tarnished by allegations of corruption, which it denies, and is expected to suffer in the elections. Uhuru, the 41-year-old son of Kenya's first president Jomo, has told the media to "ignore" opinion polls and accused NARC of being "wolves in sheep's clothing." "It's not a question of experience in the political arena, it's a question about your commitment and willingness to work with your fellow Kenyans, I think that's what counts most," he added. Uhuru has suffered from being seen as Moi's protege, Bond said. "His name does not seem to have helped him as much as Moi had calculated it would. Uhuru is seen as almost like a puppet with Moi pulling the strings from behind the scenes."
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