Madagascar heads to polls amid opposition boycott

Calls by the opposition to postpone the elections were echoed by the organisation grouping Madagascar's four biggest Christian churches, which declared on Wednesday that it would not observe the vote, citing an unsuitable political environment and lack of standards. Provisional results are expected to be released on Nov. 24, said Soava Andriamarotafika, a spokesperson for the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Madagascar's voters headed to polls early on Thursday in a presidential election boycotted by 10 out of 12 opposition candidates and marred by weeks of violent protests. Despite a night-time curfew imposed on Wednesday, the security presence was scarce across the capital as polling stations opened.

Current president Andry Rajoelina, who is seeking a third term, is facing growing isolation as leading opposition figures, including two former presidents, declared him unfit to run and called on their supporters to abstain from voting. Calls by the opposition to postpone the elections were echoed by the organisation grouping Madagascar's four biggest Christian churches, which declared on Wednesday that it would not observe the vote, citing an unsuitable political environment and lack of standards.

Provisional results are expected to be released on Nov. 24, said Soava Andriamarotafika, a spokesperson for the Independent National Electoral Commission.