KENYA: Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki has suffered a humiliating defeat in a constitutional referendum at the hands of voters disillusioned three years after he took power and vowed to end graft and tribalism.
Yesterday's No vote sent jubilant crowds dancing into the streets and may bring a major realignment of Kenya's political forces before a 2007 election.
Opponents of the new constitution - proposed by Mr Kibaki to replace one dating back to independence from Britain in 1963 - won 57 per cent of six million votes cast, official results showed.
Critics said the text failed to curb the president's huge powers, a touchy issue for Kenya's 32 million people, fractured by years of so-called "Big Man" rule.
Mr Kibaki, whose side will be disappointed with its 43 per cent showing, praised Kenyans for voting peacefully.
"This is a major leap in the consolidation of democratic governance," he said.
"The people have made a choice and, as I have always said, my government would respect the choice of the people."
The referendum campaign split Mr Kibaki's ruling coalition, deepened tribal tensions and ignited unrest at rallies in which eight people died.
Electoral commission figures showed the No camp received 3.54 million votes against 2.53 million for Mr Kibaki's Yes camp, a larger gap than most had anticipated.
"It's a revolution for the orange," said political analyst Kanyiha Karoti, referring to the fruit symbol adopted by the No camp and championed by the main opposition Kenya African National Union (Kanu) party and a party in the ruling coalition.
Debate turned to the political ramifications and how Mr Kibaki would deal with seven rebel ministers who campaigned for a No vote and split the ruling national rainbow coalition. During the campaign he had threatened to fire them.
But one leading No proponent, Kanu shadow attorney-general Mutula Kilonzo, said Mr Kibaki's attorney general and justice minister should resign over their roles in drawing up a document overwhelmingly rejected by the Kenyan people.
Analysts were also assessing how much damage the vote had done to the re-election chances of the 74-year-old leader. Some said the peaceful nature of Monday's vote and Mr Kibaki's acceptance of the outcome might enhance his status in the eyes of foreign donors.
Mr Kibaki's supporters said there was no need to panic. "There is no crisis, there is no vacuum and there is a constitution in place that will continue governing this country," water minister Martha Karua said.
Mr Kibaki's campaign, using the symbol of a banana, often seemed lacklustre in comparison with the raucous energy seen at mass rallies staged by the opposition and the dissident government faction, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Mr Kibaki swept to victory in a 2002 election, on a wave of resentment at rising poverty and corruption under the 24-year rule of his predecessor Daniel arap Moi.
However, many Kenyans say he has failed to create enough jobs or end corruption.
A rift opened in the government early on, when LDP leader Raila Odinga said Mr Kibaki had dishonoured a pledge to make him prime minister, making him roads minister instead.
In Monday's vote, Mr Kibaki had strong endorsement from the Central Province heartland of his own Kikuyu tribe. However, he received uneven support in much of the rest of the country. - (Reuters)