Andry Rajoelina has been re-elected as the president of Madagascar in what was expected to be a victory in the first round of the election. However, ten opposition candidates boycotted the election and do not recognize its outcome, according to the results presented by the electoral commission on Saturday, November 25. The incumbent candidate, aged 49, won 58.95% of the votes cast, as announced during a press conference in the capital, Antananarivo. The results still need to be validated by the Constitutional High Court, the highest jurisdiction in the country. « The Malagasy people have chosen the path of continuity, serenity, and stability, » Andry Rajoelina commented to the press shortly after the announcement. Thanking the voters for their « wisdom, » he assured that they had « expressed themselves freely. » Elected for the first time in 2018, Andry Rajoelina had previously come to power in 2009 following a mutiny that ousted former President Marc Ravalomanana.
On November 16, eleven million registered Malagasy voters were called to the polls. They had to choose between Andry Rajoelina and twelve other official candidates. However, ten opposition candidates, including two former presidents, urged voters to « consider these elections as non-existent. » Consequently, the voter turnout barely exceeded 46%, a decrease compared to the previous presidential election in 2018. When the opposition group was asked for comment on Rajoelina’s victory, a representative responded to AFP: « What results? What election? » The group had already declared on Friday that its members would not recognize the results. They warned: « We will not recognize the results of this illegitimate election, riddled with irregularities, and we decline any responsibility for the political and social instability that may arise from it. » An opposition candidate has appealed to the Constitutional High Court to demand the annulment of the election. « I have submitted two requests to annul the election and disqualify Andry Rajoelina, » said Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, denouncing electoral fraud. The opposition has not yet called for further street protests. Prior to the presidential election, the opposition collective had regularly called for demonstrations in Antananarivo almost every day for weeks. These protests were not widely followed and were frequently dispersed with tear gas. The political crisis in the country was triggered in June by the revelation that Andry Rajoelina had obtained French citizenship in 2014, discreetly. According to the opposition, this should have prevented him from running, but the judiciary refused to invalidate his candidacy. The group of opposition candidates accused the government of maneuvering to re-elect Andry Rajoelina and denounced « an institutional coup. » They demanded a suspension of the electoral process and international intervention.
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