Madagascar president takes huge lead in early results of low turnout vote

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina took a predictably commanding early lead on Friday in his bid for re-election in a vote marked by low turnout and an opposition boycott, preliminary results showed.
The 49-year-old entrepreneur and former DJ rose to power on the Indian Ocean island in a 2009 coup, stepped down after almost five years as leader of a transitional authority, then won a 2018 election.
The opposition says he should not have run again in Thursday’s poll because he acquired French nationality in 2014 – which they say automatically revokes his Malagasy one – and has created unfair election conditions.
He says both accusations are baseless political tactics.
In preliminary results from the electoral commission CENI, Rajoelina had garnered more than 72.9% of the estimated total of 6.2% counted so far.
Votes counted so far indicated a turnout of 39.5%, compared to 55% in the equivalent first round of voting in 2018.