Massive voter turnout in Friday’s Madagascar presidential election

ANTANANARIVO. Voters in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, turned out massively yesterday to choose among 33 candidates a new president expected to lead them out of a political crisis of nearly five years.

Friday, October 25, 2013
A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar, Oct. 25, 2013. Polling stations opened at 6 a.m. (0300GMT). Net photo.

ANTANANARIVO. Voters in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, turned out massively yesterday to choose among 33 candidates a new president expected to lead them out of a political crisis of nearly five years.A total of 7,823,305 registered voters are called to cast their ballots at 20,001 stations across the country. More than 2.7 million voters are registered in the captial. At a voting center based at Vohitola public primary school, dozens of voters waited calmly in line to cast their ballots and all polling spots inside the center were opened on time as required by the electoral law. Malagasy and international observors were present at the center guarded by policemen at the entrance. Rakotozanany Emmanuel, a hawkler in his 40s, told Xinhua that he has given his vote to Jean-Louis Robinson, the candidate openly supported by Marc Ravalomanana, former president ousted in 2009 by Andry Rajoelina who became president of transition. "I was a driver working for a company owned by Ravalomanana. When Rajoelina took power, I lost my job. To make a living, I had to do small sellings along the streets,” said Emmanuel.At the polling office set up at Atsimombohitra primary school in the district of Ampitatafika, voting started about five minutes after the official openning hour but everying went on normally without any incidents.