Voting under tension in Madagascar: an extraordinary electoral campaign ended in a deleterious climate. Almost all of the opposition and civil society organizations are contesting a presidential vote that they believe is blocked by the outgoing president, Andry Rajoelina.
The electoral campaign in Madagascar was marked by many twists and turns and a tense atmosphere. Accusations of an “institutional coup d’état”, repression of the opposition, calls for boycotts, controversies over the dual nationality of the outgoing president have contributed to an acute pre-electoral crisis.
The opposition collective, bringing together ten presidential candidates, including former presidents Marc Ravalomanana and Hery Rajaonarimampianina, called on the Malagasy people to boycott the first round of voting. According to them, the electoral process was not fair and numerous irregularities were noted on the electoral lists.
Clientelism has also been singled out, with revelations of the distribution of food and various goods by the presidential party using electoral lists. Use of state structures for electoral campaign purposes formally prohibited by law.
In addition to these tensions on the ground, a legal battle has also begun between Andry Rajoelina’s camp and the opposition. The head of state left office two months before the first round of the presidential election, in accordance with the Malagasy constitution. However, an unexpected turnaround took place when the President of the Senate gave up acting for “personal reasons”. The interim ultimately went to the Prime Minister, close to Rajoelina, fueling accusations of an “institutional coup d’état”.
This climate of tension was also marked by peaceful demonstrations and marches, repressed by the police, as well as violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Despite calls for boycotts and protests, the vote finally took place, but in a climate of general distrust. The results will be awaited with great attention and could cause new tensions in the country.
In conclusion, the electoral campaign in Madagascar was marked by strong protests from the opposition and civil society organizations. Accusations of vote manipulation, irregularities on the electoral lists, cronyism and tensions on the ground contributed to a tense atmosphere. The results of the vote will be decisive for the political future of the country and could have an impact on stability and democracy in Madagascar.