Power-sharing agreement ends crisis in Kenya

WATCH VIDEO

Source: CCTV.com | 02-29-2008 13:41

Kenya's rival politicians have signed a power-sharing agreement.

The deal came after weeks of bitter negotiations on how to end the country's post-election crisis.

Kenya's rival politicians have signed a power-sharing agreement.(CCTV.com)

Street violence following the election has claimed over 1,000 lives.

President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga finally shook hands to end the country's two-month-old chaos.

With the signing of the power-sharing deal on Thursday, Odinga will take the post of the prime minister, in line with the opposition's demand.

According to the deal, Odinga will have the power to "coordinate and supervise" government affairs. But it leaves open whether the prime minister will have executive authority that cannot be overruled by the president.

Odinga referred to his rival as "my countryman, President Mwai Kibaki." And this gesture of acceptance has helped to boost the people's hopes for the future stability of the country.

Raila Odinga, Opposition leader, said, "For the last two months, Kenyans have known nothing but sadness. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the millions of our people who turned up on the 27th of December last year to cast their votes. I want to thank those who voted for me and those who voted for my other competitors in the elections."

It's still unclear when Odinga will be officially sworn in. Kibaki says he will reconvene parliament next Thursday to begin work on the constitutional changes necessary to make the deal into law.

Mwai Kibaki, Kenya President, said, "We have been reminded that we must do all in our power to safeguard our peace that is the foundation of our national unity, social cohesion, economic growth and political stability."

Kenya's rival politicians have signed a power-sharing agreement.(CCTV.com)

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was the chief mediator that brought about negotiations leading to the power-sharing deal. He stresses that the deal is just the beginning of more hard work.

Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary-General, said, "Today we have reached an important staging post but the journey is far from over, in fact it is only beginning. The real challenge now is for President Kibaki and honorable Raila Odinga to work together to heal and reconcile this nation."

The signing of the deal was warmly welcomed by the people on the streets of Nairobi.

Lawrence Omondi, Nairobi Resident, said, "The signing of the agreement is a very big step ahead, Kenyans were really expecting that one, it was late, although it was late, it was better late than never."

Over the past two months, disputes over the election have left more than 1,000 people dead. The street violence has also severely affected the economy of the East African country.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei