NAIROBI, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Nine heads of international observer groups on Tuesday called on Kenyans including political leaders to ensure peaceful elections and respect for the rule of law in the country.
In a joint communique issued in Nairobi as voting kicked off across the East Africa nation where about 19.6 million Kenyans are voting their preferred leaders, the observers called on the government to uphold its constitutional obligations to provide a secure environment in which Kenyans can vote freely.
"We further call on them to uphold their commitments under the Electoral Code of Conduct which requires acceptance of the electoral outcome and seeking redress through the established legal channels," the observers said.
The statement was issued by heads of African Union, Common Market for East and Southern Africa, the Commonwealth, East Africa Community, the European Union, International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), National Democratic Institute (NDI) and The Carter Center (TCC).
Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and ex-South African president Thabo Mbeki are among the international observers in Kenya monitoring the landmark polls.
The observers noted that the 2017 general elections are a critical opportunity for Kenyans to show their commitment to the democratic development of the country.
"Based on our consultations with Kenyan stakeholders over the past weeks, we note efforts made towards the conduct of peaceful, transparent and credible elections so that Kenyans can express their will freely," they said.
The heads of the observer groups called on the political leaders and their supporters to ensure peaceful elections and respect for the rule of law as they vote on Tuesday and through the results process.
"Across our missions, we have over 400 observers deployed across the country who will follow all aspects of election day and some will remain to observe the tallying process and post-election period," they said.
