22:12
Former Zambia President Rupiah Banda will lead a 50-person Carter Centre international observer mission to Kenya's general election in March, his office said Tuesday.
A statement said that in a letter dated February 1, 2013, fo
rmer US president Jimmy Carter said he was grateful to Mr Banda for his past service on election observer missions in Sierra Leone in 2012 and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2011.
"Staff members have reported to me your immense contributions to Sierra Leone’s recent election, where your leadership and diplomacy contributed to acceptance of results and a peaceful post-election period,” the statement said in part.
Kenya will go to the polls on March 4, 2013 in an election that is one of the closest in its 50-year history.
"I invite you to serve as a leader to our delegation. Your experience, knowledge and political leadership would be invaluable to the mission. I hope that you will be able to join us."
Last month, the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), in partnership with the Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission invited Mr Banda to deliver a keynote speech on peaceful polls.
Kenya is still recovering from the devastating effects of a disputed 2007 presidential election. The country plunged into chaos after prime minister Raila Odinga, then an opposition candidate, rejected the results of the election and President Mwai Kibaki was hurriedly sworn in.
The firming of positions raised political temperatures and the supporters of the two camps engaged in violence that led to bloodshed and loss of lives of more than 1,000 Kenyans and displacement of hundreds of thousands of others.
Apart from leading the Carter Centre missions to Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr Banda was also head of the EISA observer mission to the National Assembly elections in the Kingdom of Lesotho in 2012.
0 comments:
Post a Comment