That would leave a brief lame-duck session after the elections as the only opportunity to head off the cuts before they take effect, and nobody is counting on that happening.

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Commonwealth observer mission head Festus Mogae, the ex-president of Botswana, said he was not surprised that the electronic counting system failed, Associated Press news agency reports.

BBC: Kenya elections: Kenyatta accuses UK over rejected votes

In the meantime Humer is counting on a turnaround in the company's far-flung research labs, orchestrated by research head Jonathan Knowles, hired by Humer from Glaxo Wellcome in 1997.

FORBES: Magazine Article