Kenya's
ruling coalition annulled party primaries held on Friday, the organization's
secretary general said, and reports of widespread anger over chaotic voting
raised fears that poorly organized national polls in August could spark violent
protests.
"Today's
have been canceled, those on Monday and Tuesday could still go ahead," an
official with the ruling Jubilee coalition told Reuters.
"The
turnout was more than anticipated, we had anticipated it would be a party
affair but it was more like a general election kind of turnout."
The
coalition had tried to hold primaries in 21 of the country's 47 counties on
Friday.
Local media
showed pictures of angry voters burning ballots amid complaints that voting had
started late in some areas and that some candidates' names had been left off
the ballot.
The party
official said they were unable to comment on those reports because they were
still unconfirmed by party officials.
Kenya is
still haunted by violence that convulsed the country after a disputed
presidential poll in 2007, when more than 1,200 people were killed in
widespread ethnic violence.
In the most
recent elections in 2013, electronic tallying equipment failed, stoking voter
concerns of fraud. But this time the opposition took its complaints to the
Supreme Court instead of the streets and there were only a handful of deaths in
protests.
The
opposition alliance, known as NASA, is also holding polls around the country
this month but has staggered them over two weeks. It has also said a recount
will be held in Busia county and a few local races amid concerns over the
primaries.
(Reuters)
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