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World News

Timeline: Violent path to new Kenyan constitution

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyans have voted in favor of a new constitution in a peaceful referendum that could reshape the political landscape of east Africa’s largest economy.

Here is a timeline of events in Kenya in the last 20 years:

December 11, 1991 - Parliament votes to allow opposition.

December 25 - Former Vice President Mwai Kibaki resigns to form Democratic Party of Kenya (DP).

January 18, 1992 - Forum for the Restoration of Democracy holds first legal opposition rally in 22 years attended by 200,000 people, urges electorate to remove President Daniel arap Moi.

December 29 - First multi-party elections in 26 years. Moi is re-elected and sworn in as president on January 4.

December 1997 - Moi is re-elected for a fifth and final term.

December 27, 2002 - Kibaki, candidate of the opposition National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), wins presidential election pledging to deliver a new constitution within 100 days.

July 22, 2005 - Parliament votes to keep a strong presidency in a proposed new constitution. The vote triggers violence in which at least nine people are killed.

August 22 - Kenya publishes a final draft of a new constitution, which will give the president powers to appoint and dismiss the prime minister.

November 22 - Voters reject the new constitution in a referendum; Kibaki fires his government the next day. December 30, 2007 - Kibaki is declared winner of a presidential poll and hurriedly sworn in. Riots erupt. His rival, Raila Odinga, says the vote was stolen.

February 28, 2008 - Kibaki and Odinga sign power-sharing agreement after weeks of negotiations.

September 18 - An official inquiry says it is impossible to establish true or reliable results for the 2007 poll.

November 17, 2009 - Kenya releases a long-awaited draft constitution, the first step in a full review.

April 1, 2010 - Parliament adopts draft constitution as part of reforms agreed in 2008, paving the way for a referendum.

May 6 - Attorney General Amos Wako publishes the new draft constitution to be put to a national vote on August 4.

June 13 - At least six people are killed and at least 100 are injured in a blast at a prayer meeting organized by church leaders who oppose the proposed constitution.

June 15 - Police arrest three prominent politicians from the “no” camp on charges of hate speech.

August 4 - New constitution is adopted after winning landslide support in referendum.

Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit;

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