Kenya's democracy is tested as protests spread over disputed rerun election

JOHANNESBURG - Kenya faces its deepest democratic crisis in nearly a decade, with a rerun election due to proceed Thursday, though the vote lacks legitimacy for opposition supporters and may trigger violence, according to analysts.

The election process, plagued with killings, hate speech, death threats, attacks on democratic institutions and a tangle of court disputes, has paralyzed the economy for months and even seen rising levels of hunger.

One of the most troubling signs in a chaotic process came Wednesday when the Supreme Court failed to decide on a petition calling for the election to be delayed, for lack of a quorum. The petition was brought by three civil activists who argued that conditions for a fair election did not exist.

Several judges were unable