NAIROBI, December 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Kenya’s opposition alliance Saturday, December 28, called on the ruling party’s presidential candidate to concede defeat and referred to its own flag-bearer as “president-elect.” The ruling party, however, remained optimistic and dismissed opposition claims of having won a landslide in the previous day’s crucial elections.

“The trend is not going to change. We appeal to him (Kenya National African National Union candidate Uhuru Kenyatta) to assist us in this regard,” Raila Odinga, a leading light of the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“If he can accept defeat, we would not have to wait for final results’’ of Friday’s election, he said. Official results are expected Sunday, December 29.

Odinga referred to NARC presidential candidate Mwai Kibaki as “president-elect”, adding that he had won 80 percent of the votes counted so far by the alliance.

But Odinga stressed that any official announcement of the election's winner must be made by the electoral commission.

“Unless of course the honorable Uhuru Kenyatta is going to concede defeat, which we expect of him and would save a lot of time,” he added.

On the other hand, the ruling KANU, in power since 1963, remained optimistic Saturday. “It is premature for anyone to claim anything like victory because having an early lead does not mean you end up leading,” key KANU official Njoroge Mungai told AFP.

Kenyatta, 42, “still has a chance” of winning the presidential race, added Mungai, who is closely involved in Kenyatta’s campaign and serves as personal assistant to outgoing President Daniel Arap Moi.

Asked for his response to the opposition claims, Mungai said: “Nothing. No. Because he (Kenyatta) will still show up very strong later. Odinga's opinion has no bearing in truth.”

Mungai said that most of the results he had received from the electoral commission were mainly urban areas and that KANU “has already been and is still strong in rural areas.”

He said these figures gave Kibaki about 1.05 million votes against just under 480,000 for Kenyatta.

Mungai said early indications were that turnout was about 40 percent.

Kenyatta himself has made no public pronouncements or appearances since he cast his ballot early Friday and was Saturday said to be resting at home.

Odinga added that NARC was counting on a swearing-in ceremony being held on Monday.

Some 10.4 million Kenyans were registered to take part in the elections.

According to first provisional results from the electoral commission based on a third of the total vote, Kibaki was leading the presidential race With almost 68 percent of the votes counted early Saturday,.

Kibaki had won just over two million ballots cast in Friday’s poll, Electoral Commission of Kenya spokesman Mani Lemayian told AFP.

Kenyatta, won 880,000 votes, according to the same source.

These results were from 100 of Kenya’s 210 constituencies, which vary greatly in population.

”We call those results interim or provisional until we get the (official) certificates,” said Lemayian.

According to the BBC news online, voting continued Saturday in some areas, after heavy rain disrupted the poll on Friday.

Meanwhile, Commonwealth election observers hailed the “orderly” poll.

“The people of Kenya, the political leaders and the parties deserve to be congratulated on their demonstrated belief in, and commitment to, democratic values and ethics, in particular to free, fair, peaceful and transparent elections,” a statement said.

In the coastal resort of Mombasa, opposition supporters have been celebrating their apparent victory in the town, throughout the night, BBC reported.

Kenyan Vice President Musalia Mudavadi has lost his parliamentary seat, as have several cabinet ministers, losses which could deal a severe blow to the KANU party.

NARC candidates have won 49 parliamentary seats, against 15 for KANU.

Kibaki has retained his seat in the central Othaya constituency, AFP reported.

One of the minor presidential candidates, James Orengo, failed to keep his parliamentary seat.

Moi, for his part, has urged the armed forces to support whoever wins the poll.

He was speaking at an official farewell ceremony to hundreds of Kenya’s army, air force and navy troops.

Asked if he was disappointed that KANU, seemed to be losing the election, Moi replied: “That’s democracy.” He is due to stand down as president on January 5.

The opposition campaign has focused on promises to end corruption and has attacked KANU’s record during its 39 years in power.