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MADAGASCAR-POLITICS-VOTE-EU
‘Very minor’ irregularities in Madagascar vote: EU
ANTANANARIVO, Nov 9, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – EU election observers said on Friday
that Madagascar’s presidential election this week had “very minor”
irregularities after candidate Hery Rajaonarimampianina alleged the vote was
mired by fraud.
“The irregularities were very minor and won’t have any impact on the
election’s outcome,” said the head of the European Union’s monitoring mission
Cristian Preda.
Two cases of ballot stuffing were reported out of nearly 25,000 polling
stations nationwide in Wednesday’s vote, he said.
“What we are describing are difficulties and anomalies, which is to say
logistical issues that wouldn’t have affected the credibility of the
elections,” Preda said at a media briefing in the capital Antananarivo.
Presidential hopeful Rajaonarimampianina, who ruled from 2014 until
September this year when he had to resign to contest the election, said on
Thursday that there were “numerous irregularities” in the polls.
“We will not let the people be robbed of their vote,” he warned.
Preda said that any irregularities which came to light should be
investigated.
“It’s important not to cheat. For me, people are attempting to cheat when
they make (unfounded) allegations of irregularities, I don’t like it,” he
said.
Lidia Geringer, the head of the European Parliament delegation, described
the election as “something of a last chance poll” for Madagascar’s democratic
and economic development prospects.
Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries, according to World
Bank data, with almost four in five people living in grinding poverty.
The former French colony has struggled to overcome political divisions
after a disputed 2001 election that sparked clashes and a 2009 military-
backed coup.
According to provisional results released by the election commission on
Friday, former president Andry Rajoelina was leading the tally of votes
counted so far with 42.86 percent.
Fellow ex-president Marc Ravalomanana was close behind with 40.18 percent,
according to the results based on 1,350 polling stations out of 24,852.
Rajaonarimampianina trailed on 4.38 percent.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1721 hrs