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Madagascar counts votes after presidential poll

Election officials began counting ballots in Madagascar after Wednesday’s vote for a new president in which three former heads of state ran as the Indian Ocean island seeks to defuse a political crisis.

Attempts by the most recent president Hery Rajaonarimampianina to change the island’s electoral laws backfired, sparking nearly three months of sometimes violent protests in the capital Antananarivo.

The demonstrators forced Rajaonarimampianina to accept a “consensus” government tasked with organising an election in this impoverished nation with a history of coups and unrest.

Nearly 10 million voters were eligible to cast ballots for one of 36 candidates who also included two ex-prime ministers, several pastors and a rock star.

To win, a candidate must get 50 percent of the votes cast or a second round will be held on December 19….
Source: Seychelles News Agency