NAIROBI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's tensely contested general elections are approaching the final stage of counting on Friday with candidate Uhuru Kenyatta holding steady lead, hovering at 50 percent.
As of 7:40 p.m. local time, Kenyatta garnered 5,436,371 votes, or 49.88 percent, while his rival Raila Odinga got 4,724,988 votes. The results are based on votes from 253 of 291 constituencies. Kenyatta has been swung above and below the 50 percent mark in the fifth day of the general elections, the first under the new Constitution.
For an outright victory in the first round, a candidate must garner at least 50 percent plus one of all votes cast, in addition to getting at least 25 percent of the votes in 24 counties out of 47.
If there is no outright winner in the first round, the top two candidates will proceed into a run-off, where the candidate who obtains more votes becomes president.
Isaack Hassan, chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, told a news briefing on Friday that the body is "working around the clock to ensure results are out today. " He also said "the results we are releasing are credible."
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