Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga (R) addresses the media in Nairobi, Kenya, on Aug. 16, 2022. (Photo by Joy Nabukewa/Xinhua)
Western diplomats on Wednesday called on all political parties and actors to embrace peace in the coming weeks after Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga, also a presidential candidate for the Aug. 9 presidential election, rejected the election results.
NAIROBI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Western diplomats on Wednesday called on all political parties and actors to embrace peace in the coming weeks after Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga, also a presidential candidate for the Aug. 9 presidential election, rejected the election results.
The envoys from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kindom commended Kenyans for the peace displayed on election day and the positive roles played by the electoral body, civil society, religious and business leaders, and the security sector.
William Ruto's supporters celebrate in Nakuru, Kenya, on Aug. 15, 2022. (Photo by Sheikh Maina /Xinhua)
In a joint statement issued in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, the envoys said Kenya has set an example to the region and continent through their electoral process.
Odinga on Tuesday rejected the presidential election results announced by the electoral body the previous day and vowed to pursue legal and constitutional means to overturn the declaration of the president-elect.
The 77-year-old Odinga garnered 6.94 million or 48.85 percent of the 14.1 million votes cast during the hotly contested polls, behind President-elect William Ruto who garnered 7.17 million or 50.49 percent of the total votes cast. ■
