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Madagascar elects new president | Madagascar elects new president |
(about 17 hours later) | |
Votes are being counted in Madagascar's presidential election. | |
The current leader of the island nation, Marc Ravalomanana, said he expected to win a second term and called on people to turn out and vote. | |
His 13 rivals include Roland Ratsiraka, the nephew of the former president. No violence has been reported so far. | |
In the last poll, in 2001, the island nation was pushed to the brink of civil war after then-incumbent Didier Ratsiraka refused to accept defeat. | In the last poll, in 2001, the island nation was pushed to the brink of civil war after then-incumbent Didier Ratsiraka refused to accept defeat. |
Eventually, Mr Ratsiraka and many of his ministers went into exile in France, Marc Ravalomanana, took over. | |
He is widely expected to defeat his challengers. | |
Fraud warnings | |
Voting started slowly with people queuing in torrential rain in the capital, Antananarivo. They were asked to choose a card with a photograph of their preferred candidate. | |
Voters were asked to choose a card showing the face of their candidate | |
Bad weather caused power cuts in some areas, forcing officials to start counting ballots by candlelight. | |
Reuters news agency reported that voters burnt a ballot box in the coastal town of Toliara. | |
More than 14,000 observers are overseeing the vote. Some had warned of possible fraud. | |
Mr Ravalomanana had promised the ballot would be a model of democracy and transparency for Africa and the world. | |
"You know very well that it is a challenge for us to hold free, democratic and transparent elections," he told journalists after casting his ballot at a local school. | |
"I am very proud of the Malagasy wisdom," he added. | |
Ballot sheets | |
Mr Ravalomanana, a charismatic dairy tycoon know as "the milkman" needs to win 50% of the vote to avoid a second round run-off against any of the 13 other contenders. | |
Q&A:Madagascar election | Q&A:Madagascar election |
The BBC's Jonny Hogg in Antananarivo says it is unclear whether he will achieve this. | |
There has been considerable controversy in the build up to the poll with accusations of unfair access to the media and unconstitutional electoral process. | |
An election observer told the BBC that ballot sheets for four of the candidates had not arrived at a substantial number of polling stations across the country. | |
When asked, President Ravalomanana told the BBC that he was not personally responsible and did not see it as a serious problem. | |
The vice prime minister in the former regime, Pierrot Rajaonarivelo, was stopped from returning to the country to enter the race and an army general whose candidature was refused attempted a military overthrow. | The vice prime minister in the former regime, Pierrot Rajaonarivelo, was stopped from returning to the country to enter the race and an army general whose candidature was refused attempted a military overthrow. |