|
Mazrui’s proposals over poll
dispute: Fresh Poll!
Published on January 7, 2008, 12:00 am
By David Ohito
Renowned scholar, Prof Ali Mazrui, proposes a fresh presidential
poll supervised by international organisations or power sharing to
resolve the leadership stalemate.
He said Presidential elections were a major setback to stability
and democratisation, which had to be resolved to salvage Kenya
from becoming a failed State.
"A possible solution would be for the African Union to appoint an
independent commission of inquiry into the management of the
presidential election, and make recommendations," Mazrui said in a
press statement sent to The Standard.
"One possible recommendation would conceivably be to accept the
parliamentary results, which had, by most estimates, been
transparent and credible. But there might be new internationally
supervised presidential elections with the three main candidates
on the ballot," Mazrui said.
He proposed solutions Kenya should embrace in search of peace,
including a recount of votes.
"It is imperative for President Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga to
enter into urgent negotiations to find a solution to this painful
impasse, and to help the process of national healing," he said.
Mazrui proposed revising the Constitution to allow for the
creation of a prime minister’s post.
"The third option is probably the easiest to accomplish. The new
Parliament should be sworn in and called into session. Its first
task should be to consider a constitutional amendment creating the
post of prime minister answerable to Parliament and not to the
Chief Executive (the President). If the constitutional amendment
is passed, Parliament would then vote for the first prime minister,"
he said.
He added: "Considering the balance of political parties voted into
parliament, the new prime minister is almost bound to be Raila."
"Kenya would borrow from the French model, with both an executive
President accountable directly to the people and an executive
prime minister accountable to the people’s legislative
representatives - Parliament," he noted.
He said as is the case in France, the President and the prime
minister would have to find ways of working together in the
interest of the people.
|
