NAIROBI, Nov. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- The Kenyan government has banned opposition rallies and rejected calls for new elections almost a week after voters rejected a proposed new constitution for the east African nation.

    According to a statement from the vice president's office received here Monday, any public demonstration in support of snap polls would be seen as a "threat to national security" and urged Kenyans not to attend them amid a nationwide debate over last week's defeat of the charter.

    Vice President Moody Awori's warning follows Saturday's rally in the capital Nairobi celebrating the victory of the referendum "No" vote in which thousands of opposition supporters renewed calls for snap elections.

    The opposition had said the draft gave too many powers to the president.

    The government considers these calls for nationwide rallies inappropriate and a threat to national security. Accordingly, the government will not allow the planned rallies and citizens are cautioned not to attend the meetings, the statement said.

    Analysts say the rejection of the draft charter was a no confidence vote in Mwai Kibaki's government which has been widely criticized for not following through on reform promises they made when elected in 2002.

    But the VP said the government has made it clear that the result of the referendum was not necessarily an assessment of its performance.

    "The government is assessed annually through the economic reviews, which are presented to parliament, and every five years through general elections," said the statement.

    President Kibaki, who had led the "Yes" campaign, has refused to dissolve parliament, saying the referendum was not a no-confidence vote.

    He sacked his entire cabinet and postponed this week's scheduled re-opening of parliament in a bid to re-assert political authority after the defeat.

    "The government made it clear that referenda are not general elections but a democratic tool that gives citizens a chance to vote on a specific issue of national importance," the statement said.

    The government stated that it is important for people to understand the specific objective of the just concluded referendum which was the first one to be held in the country, it added.

    More than 10,000 opposition supporters who attended the weekend rally include members of Kibaki's former cabinet who had urged the defeat of the first major overhaul to Kenya's charter since independence from Britain 1963 as it retained near absolute presidential power.

    Reacting to the statement, influential former roads minister Raila Odinga said the rallies would proceed and a schedule would be released on Monday.

    "These people are running scared. This is an illegal order, it is more like a decree. We live in a democracy, people have a right to assemble," Odinga reportedly said.

    The fiery Odinga, who engineered Kibaki's 2002 poll victory, said the government had lost Kenyans' mandate after the referendum defeat.

    "The 2002 mandate has been canceled by the votes on Monday. If I was (Kibaki), I would call elections immediately. He should take full responsibility and resign," he said. Enditem