Madagascar’s High Constitutional
Court has confirmed that former presidents Marc Ravalomanana and Andry
Rajoelina, will contest the second round of the presidential election.
Neither candidate secured 50 percent of votes cast, required to secure an outright victory.
The country’s top court said on Wednesday, Ravalomanana got 35.35
percent of the vote in the November first round, while Rajoelina got
39.23 percent.
“The two candidates cleared to go to the second round are Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana,” Constitutional Court judge president Jean Eric Rakotoarisoa said.
Current president
Hery Rajaonarimampianina got just 8.82 percent, the court said, and
will not take part in the second round, due on Dec. 19. The court
rejected his request to have the election cancelled.
Madagascar is hoping for the second peaceful election since upheaval
in 2009 when Ravalomanana was forced out of office by protests led by
Rajoelina in what the African Union and other international
organisations said was a coup.
The court said total voter turnout was 53.95 percent of the registered voters.
Ravalomanana withdraws fraud complaints
Madagascar’s former president Marc Ravalomanana, who won the first
round of the November 7 presidential election, has withdrawn his legal
complaints over alleged irregularities, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
Neither Ravalomanana nor his arch-rival Andry Rajoelina, won the 50
percent of votes required for a first-round victory in the November 7
ballot. A run-off vote is scheduled for December 19.
“For the peace and sovereignty of Madagascar, the TIM (Ravalomanana’s
party) have decided to withdraw all their complaints,” Hasina
Andrianadisaona, Ravalomanana’s lawyer, told reporters.
Rajoelina who took 39.19% of the first-round vote against
Ravalomanana’s 35.29%, also lodged complaints with the courts and
accused election officials of “manipulation”.
The election commission issued a statement in response to Rajoelina’s
allegations insisting that it had “ensured the transparency of the
electoral system at all times”.
Election result to be challenged
Madagascar’s presidential election result is likely to face stiff
legal challenges, following accusations of electoral fraud and
corruption against the electoral body.
AFP says appeals have already been lodged with the country’s High Constitutional Court.
Madagascar’s electoral commission announced results on Saturday,
confirming an expected presidential election run-off after neither of
the candidate obtained the 50% of votes needed to win outrightly.
According to the Independent electoral commission, former presidents
Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana, will contest the second round
having secured 39.19% and 35.29% respectively.
The outgoing president Hery Rajaonarimampianina, placed third in the polls with only 8.84% of the vote.
The commission said turnout was 54. 3%.
Police urges calm ahead of results
With 96 percent of all polling stations counted, Madagascan police on
Friday called for calm, as results showed two former presidents leading
the close presidential race; Andry Rajoelina was on 39.38 percent and
Marc Ravalomanana on 34.19 percent.
Outgoing president Hery Rajaonarimampianina came in third place with about nine percent.
“The electoral process is at a delicate moment, sensitive to any
tensions and rivalries, so all stakeholders are urged to protect the best interests of the nation and to guarantee order,” the police said in a statement.
The three leading candidates have all raised allegations of fraud and malpractice by election authorities.
Thirty-six candidates participated in the first-round election.
The second-round duel between the two top vote winners — required if
no candidate scores above 50 percent in the first round — is to take
place on December 19.
Partial results point to election run-off
With 80 percent of the ballots counted from last week’s vote, two
former presidents are in the lead, with Andry Rajoelina on 39.63
percent, while Marc Ravalomanana was on 35.42 percent, pointing towards a
close race for the presidency in the head-to-head second round.
Outgoing president Hery Rajaonarimampianina was in third place with eight percent.
“Given the results of the CENI (Independent
National Electoral Commission), the second round is now inevitable,”
Madagascan analyst Mahery Lanto Manandafy told AFP.
Under Madagascar’s electoral regulations, the two frontrunners go
through to a run-off, scheduled for December 19 — if neither manages to
secure more than 50 percent in the first round.
Both Ravalomanana and Rajoelina were banned from contesting the last
election in 2013 under international pressure to avoid a repeat of
political violence that engulfed the island in 2009.
Ravalomanana, 68, and Rajoelina, 44, are bitter rivals and this is the first time they have faced each other at the polls.
Ravalomanana ruled from 2002 to 2009 until he was ousted in a
military-backed coup that installed Rajoelina who was in power until
2014.
Rajaonarimampianina succeeded him, ruling until earlier this year.
EU approval, incumbent president claims fraud
While Madagascar’s president Hery Rajaonarimampianina, who is running
for a second term, has complained about some electoral irregularities,
the EU observer chief said last Friday that there were not enough
irregularities to affect the outcome of Wednesday’s election.
Rajaonarimampianina on Thursday complained against the use of an
invalid voter register, delays in the opening of the polls in some
places, intimidation and ballot-stuffing.
But the EU’s chief observer Cristian Preda said any irregularities
observed so far were not sufficient to change the outcome or call the
vote into question.
“We are in a good atmosphere. The disputes are part of the democratic
game… it’s normal, it’s human. Disputes must be handled by the law
enforcement bodies,” Preda said.
Campaign financing
He however noted that the lack of a cap on campaign spending by the
candidates had put some at a disadvantage, without providing any names.
The result of the first round of voting in one of the world’s poorest
countries could hinge in part on which of the frontrunners, all wealthy
men, spent the most money.
“In 2013, the European Union recommended capping candidate expenses
and in future reports, there will still be this recommendation,” Preda
said.
Leading candidates optimistic
As election officials count votes, following Wednesday’s presidential
poll, the frontrunners have expressed optimist about their chances of
winning.
Incumbent president Hery Rajaonarimampianina, is facing a stiff
challenge from two former presidents, Marc Ravalomanana and Andry
Rajoelina.
“I am optimistic and positive, I do not think there will be a second
round,” dairy tycoon Marc Ravalomanana said at his political
headquarters, where dozens of supporters gathered.
For his part, former nightclub promoter Andry Rajoelina spoke to
hundreds of supporters gathered at the studio of his TV chain Viva,
saying he was satisfied the early results “express the desire for
change.”
Rajaonarimampianina called it “a big day… a victory for democracy” after casting his ballot.
While election observers are hoping for a peaceful election, having
detected no anomalies in the polls, some are worried about the
possibility of a second round.
“The big risk of this election is that it will return us to an era of
crisis,” said Sahondra Rabenarivo, an analyst at the Malagasy
Observatory on Public Life.
“It’s very important that the results are credible and that the third-placed candidate accepts them.”
If the poll needs to go to a second round, it will involve only the two top candidates and take place on Dec. 19.
Polls close, issues during voting
Polling stations closed in Madagscar at 5pm local time (14:00GMT), having opened as early as 6am (3:00GMT).
While the head of the European Union’s observer mission, Cristian
Preda, reported that there were no issued during the voting, some voters
in the capital reportedly could not find their names on the voters’
register.
With close to 10 million registered voters, the electoral body, CENI reported a turnout of 40%.
Vote counting is now underway, in the presidential race that pit
incumbent President Hery Rajaonarimampianina against his two main
challengers are former heads of state: Marc Ravalomanana and Andry
Rajoelina.
Polls open
The Malagasy people demonstrated enthusiasm as they started voting
early on Wednesday morning in a presidential election, hoping for change
of the Indian Ocean island’s fortunes in terms of job opportunities,
poverty eradication and corruption.
Voter Sahondramalala Nirisoa told Reuters she had arrived early because she needed to get to work.
“I hope and I pray for a change,” she said. “That is why I came to vote.”
Background
There are nearly 10 million registered voters in the country of 25 million people, data from the electoral commission showed.
Few analysts expect an outright winner from the 36 total who are contesting.
All three leading candidates have criss-crossed the island in a hunt
for votes and each has pledged to accelerate recovery for an economy the
International Monetary Fund forecasts will grow at more than 5 percent
this year, its highest rate in a decade.
If the poll needs to go to a second round, it will involve only the two top candidates and take place on Dec. 19.
Since a peaceful election in 2013, investors and donor governments
re-engaged following a four-year freeze that began after Rajoelina came
to power.
The events of 2009 prompted an exodus of foreign investors from a
country that is one of the world’s poorest despite reserves of nickel,
cobalt, gold, uranium and other minerals.
The island was hit by a fresh political crisis in April sparked by a
legal amendment by Rajaonarimampianina’s government that would have
prevented Ravalomanana from standing for office.
Rajaonarimampianina approved a new law removing that provision the
following month, allowing Ravalomanana to register as a candidate.
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