EU observers say Madagascar presidential vote anomalies are marginal

The European Union two days after the end of the first round vote of the presidential elections in Madagascar said they are Satisfied with the progress.

While former President Hery Rajao-nari-mam-pianina denounces many irregularities, European observers consider them to be marginal, for them, the election was credible.

“What we found as difficulties and anomalies were logistical issues, issues raised with the organization that had no impact on the credibility of the elections. That’s the fundamental conclusion,” said Cristian Preda, Head of European Union Observers.

On the other hand, European observers were keen to report major malfunctions during the election campaign.

“The election campaign, is another observation we made, it was marked by the absence of a ceiling on campaign spending, and this, as I said at the beginning, led to disparities in financial resources that were visible between the last three former presidents and the other candidates,” said Cristian Preda, Head of European Union Observers.

The very provisional results published on Friday by the Electoral Commission puts Andry Rajoelina in the lead, followed closely by Marc Ravalomanana.

Residents have been hoping for the second peaceful election since 2009, when Ravalomanana was forced out of office by protests led by Rajoelina in what international organizations such as the African Union said was a coup.