The referendum expectedly manipulated, participation rates boosted

The authoritarian leader made an example by voting very early in the morning, at 08:00 am. The HAT`s propaganda machine, Rajoelina`s private channels and the national channel argued that long queues of voters would pledge a strong participation rate. The polling station located in Ambatobe, the transitional leader`s home quarter, was mentioned as an example, not forcibly the most suited one.

Did the assertion according to which polling stations would be overcrowed really draw crowds to vote? Even if it did, it proved to be not enough. The HAT and its electoral commission did their best to boost the participation rate. In the end, the YES confronted abstention.

The HAT yearned to display something like a wind of change by altering some electoral rules, as a pledge for free, transparent and democratic elections. The voting period was extended from 6:00 am to 16:00 am. No substantial safeguard was implemented in order to avoid multiple votes. The HAT and the CENI finally decided to extend the voting period to 18:00 am.

A couple of hours more was added to welcome potential voters while propaganda was pushed to its high throughout the city, only to overtake 50 percent of participation rate. And it is in no way a done deal yet. Even the CENI is bringing its contribution by threatening live on TV the polling stations` officials intending to close doors at 16:00 pm with a second to none prison sentence. “In compliance with the year 1962´s order concerning the law`s implementation emergency, this order must be implemented right away for having been broadcasted” argued the CENI`s official on TV.

The extension of the voting period is equally a wink to voters basically cast aside from electoral registers. Thousands of them have been repelled for finding their names nowhere in registers, and the HAT had long suppressed any possibility to resort to the court. Voters are allowed to complete their duty with an identity card, a former electoral card,  or a booklet issued by the fokontany.

The HAT and its electoral commission put their foot in it when organizing their first ever electoral showdown. The opposition called upon a large scale boycott which would deny any legitimacy to any result. No matter how intense the authority´s campaign was, or how hard demonstrations in favor of abstention were beaten, the showdown failed through