Madagascar buckles down for today’s high-stakes election

Antananarivo. Close to eight million voters go to the polls today in a vote that is hoped to return Madagascar to democratic rule, attract much needed funding and pull the island country out of a debilitating economic rut occasioned by a coup in 2009.Some 21,000 polling stations are open for the crucial election which has attracted some 800 international observers and 5,000 local ones.Chinese observers were the latest to arrive, with Malagasy officials praising the Asian country for continuing to maintain relations following international sanctions imposed on the country.The run-up has been marked with low-level tensions, with clashes recorded even towards the end of the 30-day official campaign period.Some 33 candidates are taking part in the presidential race, which has seen President Andry Rajoelina and big rival Marc Ravalomana barred.If none of them obtains 50 per cent of the vote, the two leading candidates will go into a second round on December 20.Meanwhile, top officials contesting the elections are being removed from their functions, referring to information sent to newsrooms Wednesday night.The Malagasy Justice minister Christine Razanamahasoa, Public Health minister Johanita Ndahimananjara, and Tourism minister Jean-Max Raktomamonjy are among those affected.The 2009 coup that brought Mr Rajoelina to power has had a major downturn on the country.Poverty levels have climbed nearly eight per cent since 2005 and now 92 per cent of the population live on less than $2 a day -- “the worst rate for a country not at war”, according to the World Bank’s chief in Madagascar, Haleh Bridi.Foreign donors, who used to bankroll 40 per cent of the government’s budget, have cut funding.“There is a good chance that if a new government is elected, it will likely enjoy greater international legitimacy, allowing for the resumption of aid and foreign investment,” said Stephen Ellis of Leiden University in the Netherlands.Agencies.