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Madagascar's Army Cautions Against Attempts to Destabilize Country, Reports Say

© AFP 2023 MAMYRAELMadagascar President Andry Rajoelina (2nd L) casts his ballot at a polling station in Ambatobe, Antananarivo, on November 16, 2023, during the first round of the Madagascar presidential election.
Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina (2nd L) casts his ballot at a polling station in Ambatobe, Antananarivo, on November 16, 2023, during the first round of the Madagascar presidential election. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 30.11.2023
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The first round of Madagascar's presidential elections, delayed by a week, took place on November 16, during which the country's incumbent president was elected to a second term. However, the opposition did not agree with the voting results.
Madagascar's army cautioned against any attempt to destabilize the country, as reported on Wednesday, citing General William Michel Andriamasimanana's press conference in the nation's capital, Antananarivo.
The statement came after the national prosecutor's office and the gendarmerie announced that two officers had been charged with sedition before the first round of the election on November 16.
According to the media outlets, Andriamasimanana made no mention of the arrests, but he did state that the army was dedicated to upholding the election's results.

"Any form of destabilization, direct or indirect, whether from inside or outside, and which will hinder the development of Madagascar carried out by the next leader, will not be accepted," he was quoted as saying.

 - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 10.11.2023
Sub-Saharan Africa
Madagascar's Parliamentary Chief Calls for Suspension of Presidential Election
The election commission stated on Saturday that incumbent president Andry Rajoelina was elected for the second consecutive term, receiving 58.9% of the votes. The constitutional court has yet to certify the outcomes on Friday.
The incumbent president won against the background of ten out of 12 opposition candidates accusing Rajoelina of creating an environment that favors him in the election while boycotting the vote. Moreover, they organized protests on the streets of Antananarivo nearly every day a few weeks before the elections.
Furthermore, two candidates claimed that Rajoelina was ineligible to run for presidency due to his French citizenship and called for the appointment of new individuals to lead the electoral commission.

Rajoelina argued that the voting was fair and that the president was not required by the constitution to be only a Malagasy citizen.

The opposition also claimed that they would not accept the results of the voting. Lawmaker Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, who came second in the election, reportedly said he had appealed to the country's highest court to overturn the results of the vote.
This will be Rajoelina's third term in office. He initially came to power through a coup d'état in 2009. Rajoelina abstained from participating in the 2013 elections due to international pressure. However, he managed to regain power by winning the 2018 presidential elections with 55.66% of the vote.
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