elections, elections, elections!

i know that much attention has been devoted to bhutto's assassination, as it rightly should be, but there's another international story happening right now that deserves a bit more of the limelight. and i'm not just saying so because i'm partial to all things kenyan.

on thursday, 14.2 million voters came out to vote in what's turning out to be an historic election, pitting the incumbent president mwai kibaki against his former ally, political prisoner and now head of a sweeping opposition movement, raila odinga. (his son is named fidel castro and he also drives around in the country's only hummer, apple red).

[as a side note: you should check out both of their websites and consider carefully which one would put you to sleep faster with their monotone and completely uninispired oratory skills. i weigh in with kibaki because i've nodded off during enough of his speeches that even recalling them incites yawning.]

that turnout is double the number of voters that turned out in the previous presidential election in 2002, an election which signaled the end of daniel arap moi's 24-year reign of tyranny, terror and oppression (it was illegal to even internalize bad thoughts about moi). if the stakes were high then...

so, raila and his fellow party members are sweeping the election in the provisional results. if he continues to do so, and all signs seem to favor that outcome, kenya will be the first sub-saharan african country to vote out an incumbent. despite the current ruling party's best intentions to rig ballot boxes or buy votes. crazy what belief in democracy and the notion that vote = voice can do for a country.

voters, who stood in lines for miles and started quequeing at 3 in the morning to participate, were so attuned to what was happening at the polling stations, you might call them vigilante vote observers, that any negligent behavior sparked a riotious scuffle to say the least.

not only is kibaki trailing, but official results so far have found that 12 members of kibaki's 30 member strong cabinet have been ousted in elections. kenyans are taking their politicians to task and making people accountable - it's a great step forward in a country that for decades has been plagued by corruption and a willingness to accept it. even wangari maathai (you know, that nobel peace prize winner who can't keep her mouth shut) couldn't hold on to her seat - too busy touring the world than her own constituency. even the vice president couldn't hold onto his parliament seat.

now that's a call for change.

i'm not sure that much of this makes sense or even interests those of you who are reading this, but i think it's an important story - a positive step in a fledgling democracy. most stories you hear about young democracies are negative, like robert mugabe's ticket to destroy zimbabwe and his country's continued compulsion to vote for him; a year old democratic election in Congo that heralded peace and stability for four months or so before falling to shreds and civil war; civil infighting in iraq, outpost of the world's newest "democracy"; and, obviously, what transpired in pakistan 24 hours ago.

imagine living in a country where voting and participating in the political process was so valued and you truly believed it could bring about real change? where elections are often seen as matters of life and death? truly inspiring, i think.