[QODLink]
Africa
Madagascans protest against leader
Supporters of deposed president vow daily demonstrations against new leader.
Last Modified: 24 Mar 2009 01:47 GMT

Protesters dispersed after a military vehicle pulled up and fired a shot into the air [AFP]

Thousands of people have gathered in Madagascar's capital to protest against Andry Rajoelina taking power in the country.

Some 3,000 supporters of Marc Ravalomanana, the deposed president, gathered in Antananarivo for several hours on Monday chanting slogans and pledging resistance to Rajoelina's rule.

And they vowed to continue protesting all week against the army-backed takeover of the Indian Ocean island.

Ravalomanana, with his palaces besieged by the army, handed power last week to the military, who in turn conferred power on Rajoelina, who had been in a power struggle with Ravalomanana for months.

But the former president's supporters have been buoyed by widespread international condemnation of what has been called Rajoelina's power-grab.

In depth


 Former DJ leads Madagascar
 Timeline: Madagascar crisis
 Profile: Marc Ravalomanana
 Profile: Andry Rajoelina 

The African Union has suspended Madagascar in protest, joining the European Union in calling it a coup, while the US and Norway have cut aid.

Raharinaivo Andrianantoandro, a spokesman for Ravalomanana's party, called for independent political reconciliation talks.

"We cannot accept the seizure of power by arms and force," he told the demonstrators.

"We want first of all a return to legal order and the re-establishment of institutions".

Shot fired

The demonstrators had planned to march to the same May 13 square where Rajoelina held months of near-daily protests that pressed Ravalomanana to stand down.

Rajoelina has been internationally criticised for grabbing power by force [Reuters]
They dispersed, however, when an army vehicle pulled up and fired a shot into the air.

"We have not finished yet!" the protesters chanted in Malagasy, pledging to protest daily throughout the week.

Rajoelina, who became Africa's youngest president at 34, appears to have strong support among the young and poor in the capital. He also has the military top brass behind him.

He is six years too young to be president according to Madagascar's constitution, but says he is president of a transitional authority and not the republic. He has also pledged to organise new elections within two years.

Critics say that is too long to wait and analysts warn that the new leader remains vulnerable to divisions within the army and people.

The months of power struggle have left at least 135 people dead, crippled the $390m-a-year tourism industry and unnerved foreign investors in the key mining and oil sectors.

Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
Topics in this article
People
Country
Organisation
Featured on Al Jazeera
An unflinching portrait of physical labour in the 21st century.
The stark choice between a fascist or an imperialist course in Syria should be discarded for a third and better course.
Israel's propaganda machine carefully chooses its words to assert illegal ownership over Jerusalem and Palestine.
As Western fears grow over Iran's continuing nuclear programme, we ask how a military strike could impact the region.
<  > 
join our mailing list

Enter Zip Code
Go