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Madagascar holds its presidential election today
Rajoelina allayed fears of a repeat of the 2009 coup saying “the results come from the choice of the people, we must accept it.”
With 33 candidates running in the election, it could prove difficult for a clear winner to emerge in the first round. If none of the candidates garners more than 50 per cent of the votes, the two top candidates will compete in a runoff scheduled for December 20.
The two front-runners are backed by rivals Rajoelina and Ravalomanana. Former finance minister Hery Rajaonarimampianina has been endorsed by Rajoelina and medical doctor Robinson Jean Louis is Ravalomanana’s candidate.
Nine candidates, including three key politicians, were barred from taking part in the polls as part of a plan to resolve the political crisis. Former presidents Rajoelina and Didier Ratsiraka and former president Ravalomanana’s wife, Lalao, were excluded for failing to comply with the country’s electoral laws.
The electoral body says more than 7.8 million eligible voters will cast their ballots at 20,000 polling stations.
The 2009 impacted negatively on the people of the country. Madagascar was suspended from the African Union and the 15-nation Southern African Development Community, or SADC, until a constitutionally elected government was restored.
Source: The Associated Press
