Obama urged Kenyans to be calm before the elections
WASHINGTON, Aug 7 — RIA Novosti, Alexei Bogdanovsky. Ex-US President Barack Obama in one of his first public statements after his resignation, urged Kenyans to safely carry out parliamentary elections scheduled for 8 August.
“I urge the leaders of Kenya to reject violence and incitement of tensions, to respect the will of the people, to urge the security forces to act professionally and neutrally, and to work together regardless of the election results. I urge all Kenyans to work hard to ensure the election was peaceful, confirmed confidence in the new Constitution and the future of your country. Any disputes over the elections should be resolved peacefully,” — said in a release sent to RIA Novosti, the statement of Obama.
The former US President recalled the “terrible violence” in 2007, when the clashes after the election have killed more than 1.1 thousand people. According to him, Kenya has managed to recover after the then crisis.
The father of former U.S. President, Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., originally from Kenya. Obama Jr. first visited the country in 1987. In Kenya are still living relatives of the 44th President of the United States.