Voting slow, calm in Madagascar’ polls

ANTANANARIVO – Voting got under way slowly but calmly yesterday in Madagascar’s presidential election in which incumbent Marc Ravalomanana was tipped as strong favourite out of 14 candidates.

Around seven million voters are due to cast their ballots in the first election since the poverty-stricken Indian Ocean island nation teetered on the brink of civil war after disputed polls five years ago. “We are very proud to have been able to organise this vote,” Ravalomanana told journalists after voting at midday in a school in the capital, accompanied by his wife.”You know very well that it’s a challenge for us, for Madagascar, to organise democratic, free and transparent elections,” he added.Voting in the 17 500 polling stations spread over the vast island of 18 million people began peacefully, despite a campaign punctuated by unease and opposition complaints.”The vote is very calm, like the end of the campaign,” election observer and former Mauritian prime minister Paul Beranger told journalists.The run-up to this year’s election has also been relatively tranquil compared to 2001 when Ravalomanana waged a bitter battle against ex-president Didier Ratsiraka.But memories of post-electoral violence in 2002 still haunt Madagascans, and 100 foreign election observers, of which 52 are EU envoys, are to make sure that all goes fairly.There are also 11 000 independent local observers and 3 200 observers of the national election committee.Beranger said voting this time was slow and pointed out that in most polling stations he had visited there had been few opposition representatives, while presidential party officials “are everywhere”.In many polling stations, voting slips for four of the opposition candidates were missing because they could not afford to distribute them.Asked about the problem, Ravalomanana said that the organisation of the elections “was not his responsibility”.”But I think that most candidates” have distributed their voting forms around the country, he said.Nampa-AFP”We are very proud to have been able to organise this vote,” Ravalomanana told journalists after voting at midday in a school in the capital, accompanied by his wife.”You know very well that it’s a challenge for us, for Madagascar, to organise democratic, free and transparent elections,” he added.Voting in the 17 500 polling stations spread over the vast island of 18 million people began peacefully, despite a campaign punctuated by unease and opposition complaints.”The vote is very calm, like the end of the campaign,” election observer and former Mauritian prime minister Paul Beranger told journalists.The run-up to this year’s election has also been relatively tranquil compared to 2001 when Ravalomanana waged a bitter battle against ex-president Didier Ratsiraka.But memories of post-electoral violence in 2002 still haunt Madagascans, and 100 foreign election observers, of which 52 are EU envoys, are to make sure that all goes fairly.There are also 11 000 independent local observers and 3 200 observers of the national election committee.Beranger said voting this time was slow and pointed out that in most polling stations he had visited there had been few opposition representatives, while presidential party officials “are everywhere”.In many polling stations, voting slips for four of the opposition candidates were missing because they could not afford to distribute them.Asked about the problem, Ravalomanana said that the organisation of the elections “was not his responsibility”.”But I think that most candidates” have distributed their voting forms around the country, he said.Nampa-AFP