FEINGOLD, SUNUNU CONDEMN VIOLENCE IN KENYA, CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL AUDIT OF THE ELECTION

For Immediate Release – January 28, 2008

Contact:  Zach Lowe or Katie Rowley (Feingold) – (202) 224-5323

               Barbara Riley (Sununu) – (202) 224-2841

FEINGOLD, SUNUNU CONDEMN VIOLENCE IN KENYA,

CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL AUDIT OF THE ELECTION

Bipartisan Effort Calls for Peaceful Resolution to Current Electoral Crisis in Kenya

Washington D.C. – U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and John Sununu (R-NH), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs respectively, introduced a resolution today calling for a peaceful political resolution to Kenya’s contested presidential election in December 2007.  Along with condemning the violence, this bipartisan resolution calls on both of Kenya’s leading presidential candidates to engage in internationally brokered dialogue and supports calls for an international audit of the recent election results.  In less than one month, the election crisis has resulted in violence that has claimed hundreds of Kenyan lives and displaced hundreds of thousands from their homes. 

“The crisis in Kenya must be resolved peacefully, and the current internationally brokered negotiation is an important first step,” Feingold said.  “It is also important that there is an independent and transparent review of the entire electoral process and its outcome.  As a key U.S. ally and role model for other aspiring democracies in the region, Kenya must not move backward from the important democratic gains it has made since the 2002 election. The Bush Administration must ensure that Kenya’s political leaders refrain from igniting violence, and that they remain engaged in the internationally brokered dialogue led by former UN Secretary General Annan.”

“The United States and all free and democratic nations must stand with the Kenyan people who exercised their right to vote on December 27, 2007,” said Sununu. “It is equally important that Kenya’s leaders recognize the importance of resolving the electoral crisis so that the country can move forward on a path to democracy. This resolution is designed to reinforce our support for a strong ally in an unstable region. Moreover, I hope that the continued engagement of our State Department and the international community will provide the necessary assistance to end the current crisis.”

Feingold and Sununu’s Kenya Resolution:

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  • Condemns the ongoing violence
  • Supports an international audit of election results
  • Urges President Bush to consider sanctions and support diplomatic efforts
  • Calls on the leading Kenyan presidential candidates to respect the will of the Kenyan people
  • Calls on Kenya security forces to refrain from excessive use of force
  • Calls on the international community to provide assistance to Kenyan refugees
  • Calls for an end on media restrictions
  • Condemns threats to civil society leaders
  • Holds all political actors in Kenya responsible for the safety of civil society leaders and human rights advocates
  • Commends the Kenyan people for their commitment to democracy

The resolution is cosponsored by a bipartisan group of senators including Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Joe Biden (D-DE), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA), Carl Levin (D-MI), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Barack Obama (D-IL), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME).  A copy of the resolution can be viewed here.