Halfway there

Negotiators for Kenya's feuding political parties failed today reach a deal on power-sharing in the aftermath of a disputed presidential election that has led to a a partial breakdown of civil society in the formerly admired African nation. Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, who is mediating the talks, had hoped to have a final agreement this week to settle the election dispute, which pits the re-elected president against his main challenger, who claims the vote was stolen. Post-election protests turned violent in the days after the Dec. 27 vote, resulting in 1,000 people killed and 300,000 driven from their homes. Negotiators from the Party of National Unity and the Orange Democratic Movement did agree to rewrite the country's constitution to grant more power to the legislature. The constitution dates back to the country's independence from Britain in 1963. The talks are expected to resume on Monday.