Police disperse protesters in Kenya

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

NAIROBI, Kenya - Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons Thursday to beat back crowds heading for a banned rally to protest Kenya's disputed election, and the president said he is willing to talk to the opposition once calm has been restored.

The attorney general called for an independent body to verify the vote tally.

Kenya's electoral commission said President Mwai Kibaki had won the Dec. 27 vote, but rival candidate Raila Odinga alleged the vote was rigged. The dispute has triggered ethnic violence across the country that killed 300 people and displaced 100,000 others.

As attempts at mediating the crisis gained momentum, Kibaki said he was willing to hold talks.

"I am ready to have dialogue with concerned parties once the nation is calm and the political temperatures are lowered enough for constructive and productive engagement," Kibaki said, hours after police halted the planned march by opposition protesters.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080103/ap_on_re_af/kenya_elections

[endarkenment]

1. rival candidate Raila Odinga and all outside monitors

agreed that Kibaki tossed the results out and elected himself and now wants everyone to calm down before he will deign to discuss the merits of their complaints with him.

[Robbien]

2. Exactly. I hate how corporate media is spinning this

No mention at all that every monitor involved firmly states that the election was not proper. According to this article the only one complaining is Odinga, so of course it sounds as if it is all sour grapes.