(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A pure presidential system is the political structure of choice for people in Kenya, according to a poll by Synovate. 49 per cent of respondents would prefer to have this system in the country.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A pure presidential system is the political structure of choice for people in Kenya, according to a poll by Synovate. 49 per cent of respondents would prefer to have this system in the country.
Conversely, 31 per cent of respondents would like their country to have a hybrid presidential and parliamentary system, and 18 per cent would prefer a solely parliamentary structure.
Kenyans voted in presidential and legislative elections in December 2007. Official results gave incumbent Mwai Kibaki of the Party of National Unity (PNU) 46.64 per cent of all cast ballots, followed by opposition candidate Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) with 44.28 per cent.
Odinga’s camp complained about irregularities in the ballot count, claiming that Kibaki’s total was inflated by 300,000 votes. The allegations practically paralyzed Kenyan politics, and saw the return of violent incidents that had marred the electoral campaign.
By late Febuary 2008, post-election violence in Kenya had claimed more than 1,000 lives. On Feb. 28—following the mediation by former United Nations (UN) secretary-general Kofi Annan—Kibaki and Odinga reached a preliminary power-sharing deal. The terms entailed the creation of the post of prime minister, who would "coordinate and supervise" government affairs. Kenya would also have two deputy prime ministers, one nominated by each member of the coalition. Kibaki remained as president, and Odinga became prime minister.
A parliamentary committee has been tasked with settling the issue of what political system Kenya should operate under.
On Jan. 26, Ahmed Abdika, chairman of the committee, said that the group has "agreed in principle on the presidential system," adding, "We are working on modalities of checks and balances."
Polling Data
In the proposed constitution, which of the following leadership systems do you prefer to have?
|
Pure presidential |
49% |
|
Hybrid system |
31% |
|
Pure parliamentary |
18% |
|
None / Not sure |
2% |
Source: Synovate
Methodology: Interviews with 2,000 Kenyan adults, conducted from Jan. 19 to Jan. 21, 2010. Margin of error is 2.2 per cent.
