Thursday, March 15, 2012

Polls set for 2013, says minister



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Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo. Photo/FILE
Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo. Photo/FILE 
By OLIVER MATHENGE omathenge@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Wednesday, March 14  2012 at  22:30
IN SUMMARY
  • Mutula dares anyone opposed to the date to appeal ruling and seeks to amend Bill he tabled in Parliament
The next general election will be held next year and those opposed to this timeline can appeal in court, Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo said on Wednesday.
The minister also revealed that he would be asking for the Cabinet’s permission to amend a Bill that seeks to change the Constitution and set the election date to December of every year.
The Constitution says that elections are to be held on the second Tuesday of August every fifth year. Mr Kilonzo said the ruling by the Constitutional Court is clear that elections will be held within 60 days after the end of this Parliament’s term.
Mr Kilonzo challenged those who are opposed to a 2013 election date to move to court and lodge an appeal against the January 15th ruling by the Constitutional Court.
The court gave two scenarios with the first being that Parliament should run its entire term until January 15, 2013 and elections held within 60 days after the end of its mandate.
The second scenarios was that the two principals end the Coalition Government and pave the way for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to announce the election date.
“There is no confusion over when the elections should be held. As a lawyer and the minister in charge of elections, I am asking those who think that elections should not be held next year to correct me by appealing the ruling,” Mr Kilonzo said.
The minister added that an election in 2013 would give the country more time to prepare for the polls.
Mr Kilonzo said he wants the Bill he tabled in Parliament to change elections date to instead focus on the issue of gender. In the Bill, the government argues that the provisions in the Constitution that stipulate that no gender should occupy more than two-thirds of Parliament cannot be implemented.
“The country will have to amend the Constitution so that all Parliamentarians are able to serve the full five-year term,” Mr Kilonzo said. The minister’s statement on Wednesday came just days after President Mwai Kibaki said that the elections would be held in a year’s time although he did not specify the exact date.
But Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said he prefers a December 2012 elections.
Meanwhile, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka has told off Western countries on their push on Kenya to announce the next election date.
The VP said that the West should not use the announcement of the date to scary away potential investors. (READ: IEBC ready for polls in December or 2013)

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