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What next for Kenya's
power-sharing deal
Reuters
28 Feb 2008
Nairobi (Reuters) - Kenyan
President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga on
Thursday signed an agreement to share power via cabinet posts and
a new prime minister's job, after talks to end a post-election
crisis.
Here are some facts about the deal and what could happen next:
* The first thing that has to happen is Kenya's parliament must
meet and ratify the agreement with the necessary laws and
constitutional amendment. Kibaki ordered the legislature to
re-open on March 6 to begin that work. Though Odinga's Orange
Democratic Movement party has the most members, Kibaki's Party of
National Unity (PNU) and affiliate parties have almost as many
seats taken together. Analysts say both sides will have to work
hard to get their supporters into line.
* A new prime minister's post will be created and Odinga, as
leader of the party with the most seats in parliament, will take
it. The prime minister will have "the authority to coordinate and
supervise the execution of the functions and affairs of the
government", the deal says, but it was not immediately clear
exactly what that means.
* ODM and Kibaki's side will each nominate one deputy prime
minister. Under the deal, the prime minister and the deputies can
only be removed by a vote of no confidence by parliament. * When
the cabinet is formed, it must reflect the parties' strength in
parliament and the apportionment of key portfolios must be
balanced, the deal says. Political wrangling and cutthroat
deal-making have long been a feature of Kenyan politics, and most
Kenyans would be surprised if the cabinet naming process went
ahead without acrimony and bruised egos.
* The deal says the coalition can be broken three ways -- if
parliament is dissolved, the parties agree to it in writing or one
party withdraws. Kibaki still has the power to dissolve parliament
at his discretion and it was not clear what -- if any -- penalty
exists should one side or the other decide to pull out. Earlier,
the opposition had demanded a new election be called if that
happened, but the pact makes no mention of that.
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