The decision to call a snap election in 1983 was made by Moi after the coup attempt and was calculated to serve specific political purposes. A snap election forced the dissolution of the parliament elected in 1979 and required all MPs to defend their seats in new primary contests. This gave Moi the opportunity to reshape Parliament according to his political preferences.
The normal parliamentary term would have ended in 1984, roughly five years after the 1979 election. By calling elections in late 1983, Moi was exercising the constitutional right to dissolve Parliament early. The rationale given was that the government needed to demonstrate public support and to consolidate political unity after the coup attempt.
The government's actual rationale for the snap election was to remove sitting MPs who were suspected of involvement in or sympathy with the coup attempt, and more broadly to engineer a parliament more aligned with Moi's consolidated authority. The snap election provided an opportunity to purge disloyal politicians under the guise of democratic elections.
The timing was also relevant to economic and political factors. The economy was facing difficulties in 1983, including inflation and budget deficits. The government may have calculated that calling an election before economic conditions deteriorated further would be politically advantageous.
The use of snap elections as a political tool was not new to Kenya, but the explicit use of an election to remove suspected coup conspirators and to consolidate power was a new dimension of electoral politics. The 1983 snap election established a precedent for using elections for political consolidation and control.
The announcement of the snap election was sudden and took many politicians by surprise. Sitting MPs who had expected to serve out their full terms were forced to campaign for re-election. This unexpected timing gave Moi's government the advantage of surprise and prevented organized opposition from forming.
The snap election was presented to the public and to the international community as a demonstration of democracy. The government argued that by holding elections, it was continuing democratic practice and allowing voters to choose their representatives. However, the actual use of the election for political consolidation and control was much more significant than this democratic framing suggested.
See Also
- 1983 Election
- 1982 Coup Attempt Kenya
- Daniel arap Moi
- Kenya Authoritarianism
- KANU Party
- Kenya Political System 1978-1991
Sources
- Widner, Jennifer. The Rise of a Party-State in Kenya. University of California Press, 1992.
- Hornsby, Charles. Kenya: A History Since Independence. I.B. Tauris, 2012.
- Gitonga, Ezra. "Moi's Kenya: Social Engineering in a Kleptocratic State." In Rogue States and State Sponsors of Terrorism. Edited by Robert Rotberg, 2007.