Kenya: Candidate claims election marred by voter fraud

The ballot count in Kenya's elections has been rigged, according to the running mate of one of the two top contenders for president.

Kalonzo Musyoka, the outgoing vice president, said on Thursday that the votes lacked integrity and needed to be stopped. In some cases, he explained, there were more votes than registered voters.

According to the BBC, Musyoka's running mate, current Prime Minister Ralia Odinga, is trailing behind his rival, Uhuru Kenyatta, and Musyoka's words could incite violence.

But Musyoka also clarified that his statements weren't intended to raise tensions or cause protest. Kenya's elections have been relatively peaceful so far.

More from GlobalPost: Rigging claims throw Kenya presidential vote into chaos

The authorities have insisted the elections have been fair. Although electronic vote-counting technology has crashed frequently, they say they're optimistic that the result of the elections won't be compromised, Reuters reported.

Violent protests broke out in 2007-8 after Odinga claimed that he was the victim of voter fraud during elections then. Kenyatta, who backed the winner, President Mwai Kibaki, will stand trial in the International Criminal Court next month. He has been accused of inciting violence during the protests during the last elections, Press TV reported. 

In order to win, the candidates must get more than 50 percent of the total votes cast, and at least 25 percent of votes in half of the country's 47 counties to ensure the president wins with wide support.