In the ongoing battle for power, the former President of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, found himself in a rather leg-endary predicament. He claimed to have sustained a mysterious leg injury during a gathering of his supporters and those challenging the current President, Andry Rajoelina. Tears weren’t just shed by his supporters, as teargas rained down upon them.
Ravalomanana, one of the eleven contenders cleared to challenge President Rajoelina in the upcoming November 9 elections, even took to Facebook to display a snapshot of his injured leg, complete with a drip of dramatic blood. The cause of this injury remained shrouded in mystery, leaving us all to wonder what really went down.
Attempts to get a comment from Ravalomanana’s spokesperson were about as successful as finding a needle in a haystack, and government officials were equally elusive. However, a Reuters witness in the heart of Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, confirmed that the police had indeed gone on a teargas spree, dispersing hundreds of supporters.
But the drama didn’t stop there. Another former president, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, joined the fray, standing proudly among the teargas-soaked supporters. What were they all marching for, you ask? Well, they had quite the wish list: changes in the election commission, the creation of a special court for election disputes, and, for the grand finale, disqualifying Rajoelina from the race on the grounds that he’s not a true Madagascan citizen. It’s an accusation he’s casually brushed off before.
Madagascar, an Indian Ocean island, had its fingers crossed for its third peaceful election since the tumultuous events of 2009 when Rajoelina ousted Ravalomanana in a coup. And speaking of Rajoelina, he decided to step down in early September to fulfill Madagascar’s constitutional requirement, which insists that a sitting president itching for re-election must first give up the throne.
Perhaps Rajoelina’s resignation was his way of saying, “I’ve had my turn, now it’s my time to enjoy the show.” Whether this peculiar leg injury is a part of that show remains a mystery worthy of the finest detective novels. Stay tuned for more twists and turns in Madagascar’s rollercoaster of an election season!
