(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-27 17:11

NAIROBI - Voting kicked off in Kenya early Thursday as registered voters elect their presidential, parliamentary and civic leaders for the next five years.

A voter casts his ballot at a polling station in Nairobi December 27, 2007. Voting kicked off in Kenya early Thursday as registered voters elect their presidential, parliamentary and civic leaders for the next five years. [Agencies]

Kenya's fourth multi-party elections are being held simultaneously and are expected to be closely contested in a country which has enjoyed relative stability for many decades.

Voting started in most of the polling stations at 6 am (0300 GMT) and is expected to end at 6 pm (1500 GMT) on Thursday.

The incumbent President Mwai Kibaki who had won an election in 2002 to replace former long-time leader Daniel arap Moi, now is running for a second five-year term.  

Kibaki's biggest challenge is likely to come from the leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), former cabinet minister Raila Odinga, who is making a second attempt at securing the presidency.

Odinga has been taking lead around 10 percentages to Kibaki in recent opinion polls.

Another former cabinet minister, Kalonzo Musyoka, is also taking part in the contest for the first time, as well as a former televangelist turned politician Pastor Pius Muiru.

To win, a presidential candidate must have a majority of all votes cast, as well as a minimum of 25 percent in five out of Kenya's eight provinces.

But analysts say a runoff is highly unlikely because the leading candidates, Kibaki and Odinga, will certainly garner the 25 percent votes in at least five provinces.

The Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) which oversees the country's fourth multi party elections is expected to announce the official verdict on Saturday but preliminary results are expected to start coming in from Friday morning, though media assessment will give a picture overnight.

Thousands of election observers are monitoring the polls which promise to be the closest election since Kenya became a republic more than 40 years ago.

Kenya Election Domestic Observation Forum have deployed between 17,000 and 20,000 locals to most constituencies across Kenya.

International missions and organizations, including the Commonwealth, European Union, African Union, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and East African Community (EAC), are also monitoring the polls.

Some 14.2 million voters are expected to cast their votes to elect the president, members of Parliament and civic leaders.

The elections have attracted 117 political parties, the highest number in Kenya's history. There are 2,528 parliamentary and 15, 332 civic candidates.

Kibaki has the support of his Kikuyu ethnic community, the largest of Kenya's approximate 40 tribes, and is also popular in the northern and eastern provinces.

Odinga, a former political prisoner, enjoys the backing of his western Luo community, but also has support from other ethnic groups who think the Kikuyus were favored under Kibaki.

Kenyans fear the closeness of the contest will provoke rigging and more violence in the east African country.

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