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Kenyan parliament convenes talks on power-sharing deal

Kenya's parliament was set to convene yesterday to start discussions aimed at enacting into law a landmark power-sharing deal designed to end a deadly post-election crisis.

The country's 10th parliament was opened on Jan. 15 at the height of political violence and tribal killings that left around 1,500 dead following the disputed Dec. 27 presidential election.

After weeks of mediation led by former UN chief Kofi Annan, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga -- who charges the incumbent rigged his way to re-election -- struck a deal on Feb. 28.

The agreement broke the deadlock by granting the opposition a position of prime minister -- which has yet to be formally created -- but both sides are still involved in intense negotiations on issues such as land reform.

Narrow margin

Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) trounced Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU) in the December elections but fell short of securing an outright majority.

Alliances with smaller parties by both camps have resulted in an almost evenly split parliament, with Odinga's allies dominating by a narrow margin.

Both sides have pledged to support the bill to be tabled next week.

Kibaki is scheduled to chair a meeting of the "Grand Coalition Joint Parliamentary Group" on yesterday at 10am before officially opening the parliament session at 2:30pm.

Both sides have agreed to set up a committee that will outline policies for the coalition government to be formed in the coming days or weeks.

The Feb. 28 accord was received with a general sigh of relief in the usually stable east African nation, but tough negotiations lie ahead for both sides as the government line-up remains to be decided.

Urgency

"There is some urgency in actualizing the agreement. The public needs signs that indicate things will work," the mass circulation Daily Nation said in an editorial on Wednesday.

Odinga is expected to take the new position of prime minister, but both camps are expected to wrangle for the top portfolios over the coming days.

If an agreement is reached, the broad cabinet coalition will replace the government announced by Kibaki days after he was controversially declared the winner of the presidential vote.

He had then invited Odinga's movement to join the government but the opposition leader refused to recognize Kibaki's re-election, plunging Kenya into its worst ever political crisis.

The post-election crisis has battered the economy and exacerbated simmering resentment over land issues, poverty and the dominance of Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe in Kenyan politics and business since independence in 1963.

Tribal violence and revenge killings continue to claim lives in some flashpoint regions of Kenya.
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