Senate Passes Feingold-Sununu Measure Supporting Peaceful Resolution To Kenyan Electoral Crisis, Condemning Recent Violence

Bipartisan Resolution Also Calls for International Audit of the December 2007 Kenyan Election Results

January 30, 2008 -- Washington D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution authored by U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and John Sununu (R-NH), condemning the recent violence in Kenya following the country’s December 2007 elections and calling on both of Kenya’s leading presidential candidates to support a peaceful resolution to the electoral crisis.

The bipartisan resolution introduced by Feingold and Sununu, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs respectively, also calls for an international audit of the election results. In the month since the elections took place, violence has claimed hundreds of Kenyan lives and displaced hundreds of thousands from their homes. The resolution is cosponsored by 21 other senators.

“I am very pleased the Senate has acknowledged that the crisis in Kenya must be resolved peacefully, with the first step being internationally brokered negotiations,” Feingold said. “The U.S. Senate is also now on record in support of an independent and transparent review of the entire electoral process and its outcome. I hope President Bush joins us in calling on Kenya’s political leaders to refrain from igniting violence and remain engaged in the U.N.-led international effort to bring peace to a troubled nation.”

“The United States Senate has unanimously reaffirmed its commitment to the people of Kenya and their pursuit for democracy,” said Senator Sununu. “The continuing violence and unrest is of great concern to the United States and the international community. Both parties must continue to work together to find a credible and appropriate solution to the current crisis so that the country can return stability and peace to its people.”

Feingold and Sununu’s Kenya Resolution, S.Res.431:

* Condemns the ongoing violence
* Supports an international audit of election results
* Urges President Bush to consider sanctions and support diplomatic efforts
* Calls on the leading Kenyan presidential candidates to respect the will of the Kenyan people
* Calls on Kenya security forces to refrain from excessive use of force
* Calls on the international community to provide assistance to Kenyan refugees
* Calls for an end on media restrictions
* Condemns threats to civil society leaders
* Holds all political actors in Kenya responsible for the safety of civil society leaders and human rights advocates
* Commends the Kenyan people for their commitment to democracy

Source: Senator Russ Feingold

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