Madagascar: incumbent Rajoelina confident he is ‘going to win’ in 16 November presidential vote
With voters in Madagascar readying to cast their ballot in the upcoming presidential election, the incumbent President, Andry Rajoelina, has expressed little doubt in a recent interview with the media about who the winner will be, despite facing a turbulent path to re-election as protests and legal challenges have rocked the political landscape in the Indian Ocean island nation.
“I’m going to win, that’s for sure, and in the first round,” said Rajoelina, as he spoke to AFP about his predictions for the country’s upcoming elections. “My support is the people. Then my wife. And first of all, God, who guides me and protects me,” said the 49-year-old leader. Although ostensibly banking on popular support and God to get him over the line, the outgoing president has been facing a turbulent path to re-election as protests and legal challenges have for weeks rocked Madagascar’s political landscape. The run-up to the poll on 16 November has been marred by near daily opposition demonstrations after disputes over its regularity. Still, despite history of ups and downs, Rajoelina remains resolute in his quest for re-election.
When Rajoelina became Africa’s youngest head of state in 2009 through a coup, he had been known as “the disc jockey” due to his popularity for organizing parties during his youth. After skipping subsequent elections, he made a triumphant comeback in 2018. His political journey has been far from conventional, marked by controversy and resilience.
Rajoelina recently emphasized his administration’s efforts to address Madagascar’s development challenges. According to the incumbent,”now the challenges are enormous, so there are still a lot of things to be done, including job creation, integrating young people, and everything to do with social safety nets, all of which are challenges I’ll have to tackle in the coming years.” These challenges underscore the pressing issues that Madagascar faces as it seeks to improve the lives of its citizens.
