Rajoelina candidate leads Madagascar presidential vote

A file photo taken on December 18, 2013 shows presidential candidate Hery Rajaonarimampianina (R) of Hery Vaovao ho an'i Madagasikara party and Madagascar strongman Andry Rajoelina flashing the party's sign. The candidate supported by strongman Andry Rajoelina held a seemingly unassailable lead in the island's run-off presidential poll on December 30, 2013, with ballots from nearly all voting stations in. AFP PHOTO/ALEXANDER JOE

In Summary

• Hery Rajaonarimampianina had won more than 53 per cent of the vote after ballots from more than 96 per cent of polling stations had been tallied.
• The final results are still to be announced, but both candidates declared themselves the winner and claimed vote rigging shortly after the December 20 run-off.

ANTANANARIVO, Monday

The candidate supported by Madagascar strongman Andry Rajoelina held a seemingly unassailable lead in the island’s run-off presidential poll today, with ballots from nearly all voting stations in.

Hery Rajaonarimampianina had won more than 53 per cent of the vote after ballots from more than 96 per cent of polling stations had been tallied.

According to figures on the electoral commission’s website, which are still to be validated, his rival Robinson Jean Louis, 61, who is backed by ousted leader Marc Ravalomanana, was trailing by 6.6 per cent.

The polls are meant to pull the Indian Ocean island out of a political and economic crisis brought on by Rajoelina’s army-backed power seizure in 2009.

The final results are still to be announced, but both candidates declared themselves the winner and claimed vote rigging shortly after the December 20 run-off.

“We find that the atmosphere is generally positive but there are also cases where the candidates are not happy with the results that are being published,” said regionally appointed mediator Leonardo Simao.

(AFP)