Madagascar leader ahead in poll
2006-12-04 11:52
Antananarivo - Madagascar's incumbent President Marc Ravalomanana has gained an early lead in the first round of voting in weekend polls, according to provisional official results released on Monday.
Results from 412 polling stations around the capital Antananarivo showed Ravalomanana leading with 70.1% of votes against opposition contestant Norbert Ratsirahonana who trailed with 10.69%, the interior ministry said.
Herizo Razafimahaleo, who was seen as Ravalomanana's strongest challenger, managed just 7.4%.
Partial results from up country, where Ravalomanana has little support, had not been released.
Ravalomanana was the favourite in Sunday's polls in which 13 opposition hopefuls tossed in their hats to oust the president.
Some seven million voters were eligible to cast their ballots in 17 500 polling stations across the vast Indian Ocean island.
Heavy turnout marked the exercise that ran smoothly, unlike the island's 2001 bitterly contested elections that plunged the country into months of political paralysis.