ODM urges IEBC to extend party list deadline

ODM National Elections Board chairman Franklin Bett supervises workers at the ODM headquarters January 16, 2013 who were labelling buckets to be used as ballot boxes during party primaries. ODM asked the IEBC to extend the deadline for submitting the final party list by six days. JENNIFER MUIRURI

ODM has asked the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to extend the deadline for submitting the final party list by six days.

“Going by past experience, full results may not be known until the evening of (January 18) at the earliest. Please take into account the fact that certain regions of Kenya have been in turmoil as late as this week, hence getting done with nominations in such areas may not be a very easy task,” said Anyang’ Nyong’o, the ODM secretary general, in a letter to the IEBC.

"We therefore envisage having results fully tabulated by the end of the day on January 18 as a best scenario. Dispute resolutions, to ensure proper internal democracy in political parties, will require at least three days. That will take us to January 22, at the earliest,” Prof Nyong’o said.

"I therefore plead, on behalf of the ODM and other parties, that the IEBC sets the date of submitting party nominees and names for party lists on January 24th by the end that working day," the party secretary general said.