The Kenyan electoral commission has said that the voter turnout for the presidential election held on Thursday was lower than 35%, BBC reported. The election was marred by violent clashes on Thursday, in which four civilians were killed and at least 20 people were injured after supporters of the Opposition party clashed with the police.
Incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta is seeking a second term. Earlier this month, Opposition leader Raila Odinga pulled out of the re-election, predicting it would be even worse than the first one.
The re-election was scheduled for Thursday after the Kenyan Supreme Court rejected the results of the August presidential election that declared Kenyatta the winner. The top court had said there were irregularities in the election proceedings and called for a fresh poll within 60 days. The turnout in August’s election was 79%.
The Opposition had urged voters to boycott the election rerun. Odinga’s stronghold, which consists of four counties, saw violent clashes. His supporters prevented polling stations from opening, Reuters reported. Following the violence, the voting in these four counties were postponed until Saturday.
“We cannot keep extending that right to vote after Saturday,” Wafula Chebukati, the chairman of the electoral commission, said, according to Bloomberg. “We shall have to make a decision about what will be done.”
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