General Elections – Voter participation is rather low, but all is well

« After casting his vote at around 7 AM GMT, President Ravalomanana stated, « We have kept our promise. God willing, the general elections are indeed taking place. The time has come to cast aside old practices. » The president urged the Malagasy population to exercise their right to vote, and warned those who would try, or even think about disrupting the voting process.

Two hours prior to the closing of the polls, no major incident has been reported. One candidate did try, unsuccessfully, to prevent voters from reaching the polls, in a city just south of Antananarivo. The voters eventually cast their ballots around noon, local time.

Aside from the rain, nothing disrupted the elections anywhere on the Island. While voter participation was rather low during the morning hours, the lines started to appear during the afternoon. Win or lose, it seems that voter participation is one major concern for all players, in view of the call for a boycott coming from AREMA party?s Pierrot Rajaonarivelo, and former president Albert Zafy. Meanwhile, in retrospect, general election voter participation was less than 56% in 1993, and 60% in 1998; additionally, 42.2% abstained in 1999.

These pre-scheduled general elections will also change the make up of the Lower Chamber. AREMA, former dictator Didier Ratsiraka?s party, with Mr. Pierrot Rajaonarivelo at the helm, is about to yield the majority to a « National Coalition » made up of RPSD, AVI, and the president?s TIM parties. The RPSD and AVI parties were ranked third and fourth within the previous legislative body. We are also waiting where the Leader FANILO party will end up – it was formerly ranked second, after AREMA in the now dissolved former National Assembly. Mr. Herizo Razafimahaleo, national president to the Leader FANILO party, has decided to leave the political arena, indefinitely, following his disappointing failed bid for the presidency in December 2001.

Two other things stand out during these elections: the see-through ballot boxes, and the presence of numerous national, and international observers.