Despite Violence, Kenyan Election Holds Lessons For Zimbabwe - Analyst

Millions of Kenyans took to the polls Thursday in an election marred by delays, sporadic violence and rigging charges by the opposition, with President Mwai Kibaki and former ally Raila Odinga are the leading contenders for the presidency.

Some observers were watching the Kenyan poll with an eye to the elections coming up in March in Zimbabwe, where violence and allegations of rigging by the ruling ZANU-PF party have tarnished elections since 2000. Among the organizations that sent observers to Kenya was the Zimbabwe Election Support Network.

Nairobi-based political analyst Brian Kagoro, an advisor to ActionAid, told reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA’s Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that Zimbabwe has much to learn from the Kenyan ballot which, despite its shortcomings, was highly democratic.

More reports from VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe...