Majority backs new constitution

Kenya (AP):

Kenyans overwhelmingly backed a new constitution to replace a British colonial-era draft that had inflated the powers of the president, preliminary results announced yesterday revealed. A leading opponent said the 'No' side would respect the outcome.

Ethnically charged violence left more than 1,000 people dead following the disputed 2007 presidential election, and a peaceful concession is key to a tranquil post-election period. No major violence has been reported, but authorities deployed police around the country en masse during the vote.

Almost 70 per cent of the country voted in favour of the new constitution during Wednesday's vote, according to preliminary vote results.

Opponents of the draft earlier had expressed misgivings about the results.