Protests set to resume after court ruling

Presidential candidate Marc Ravalomanana has called on his supporters to return to the streets in protest following a High Constitutional Court ruling on Wednesday to recount votes cast in presidential polls on 16 December. Last Friday Ravalomanana called an end to a week of countrywide mass protests, saying he would wait on the court to decide on a recount. Ravalomanana, mayor of the capital Antananarivo, and also a wealthy businessman who owns a radio and television station, claims to have won 53 percent of the vote. Ravalomanana claims are supported by local election monitors. However, provisional government totals show that Ravalomanana won 46.59 percent of the vote and Ratsiraka, who has been in power for more than 20 years, secured 40.59 percent, making a runoff necessary. UN Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative in Madagascar, Adama Guindo, told IRIN on Thursday that Ravalomanana called for a resumption of protests because he had wanted the court to conduct the recounting of votes instead of the National Electoral Council (NCE). "Marc Ravalomanana last night rejected the option to have the tallies verified by the national electoral Council. He said the comparison (between official and opposition ballots) should be done by the High Constitutional Court. He said the council was under the influence of government and incapable of enforcing electoral laws," Guindo said. According to Guindo, Ravalomanana said irregularities reported before and during the election were not acted upon. The first day of protests last week turned violent in the capital, but continued peacefully the rest of the week. The confusion led to the US government and the United Nations calling for a quick, fair and peaceful resolution to the election. The council will be expected to recount and compare ballots from more than 16,000 polling stations, further delaying the finalisation and announcement of the results. Whoever is declared the final winner though, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Madagascar's foreign policy is unlikely to change. In its latest country outlook, the EIU said the island would continue to cultivate strong relations with the donor community and with former colonial power France. "The biggest foreign policy decision the president will face concerns the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Madagascar has indicated a desire to join, but has taken few concrete steps towards membership," the think-tank said. In addition, it added: "The drive to reduce poverty will remain at the heart of the economic policy agenda and Madagascar's agreements with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in 2002-03, regardless of the outcome of the presidential election."