General elections slated for March 2013

Written By:Diana Okemwa,    Posted: Sat, Mar 17, 2012

IEBC chair Isaack Hassan said the March date will give the commission ample time to prepare for free, fair and transparent elections The forthcoming general elections will be held on 4th March, 2013. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission announced the election date Saturday saying disagreements by the two principals over the issue was causing anxiety and uncertainty. IEBC chair Isaack Hassan said the commission arrived on the date after making consultations with various stakeholders. He noted that the March date will give the commission ample time to prepare for free, fair and transparent elections. He said the electoral body will also be able to conduct be able to conduct a countrywide voter registration exercise based on the 80 new electoral units. Hassan said the dates will also give political parties ample time to meet the Political parties' act that requires among others that they submit to the IEBC, their nominations and party membership lists 6 months to the elections. Hassan pledged to stick to the court judgment that gave IEBC the mandate to fix the date of the first election under the new constitution. IEBC chair Isaack Hassan said the March date will give the commission ample time to prepare for free, fair and transparent elections. Reactions Meanwhile, Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said he prefers that the General Elections be held in December 2012, and not in March, 2013. In a press statement the Prime Minister said holding elections in March will mean prolonging the life of the current Parliament and administration, while cutting the life of the next Parliament by several months.  He added that the March elections will be inconveniencing as campaigns and voting will take place in the midst of a school term. Raila said that since schools are routinely used as polling stations learning would be interrupted. He further said Kenyans have since 1992 held elections in December which he said generally suits the calendar of eligible voters and enables the country to start a new year with a new government every five years. The statement further says the premier made this position clear to members of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission who met him at his office on Friday. Orange Democratic Movement In a quick rejoinder, the Orange Democratic Movement says the next general election should be held in December, preferably on the 17th of December 2012 as the Cabinet had previously recommended. In a statement, ODM general secretary Anyang' Nyong'o says this will be in line with the recent High Court ruling and the fact that the date suits the calendar of ordinary Kenyans.  ODM further says the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission - IEBC should avoid any temptation of serving any partisan interests through extension of the life of the coalition government. Nyong'o adds that the IEBC should respect the wishes of majority of Kenyans who want the elections to be held in December 2012 to clear with the exercise and carry on with the preparations for the New Year.