Madagascar President Rajoelina cements lead in boycotted election

FILE PHOTO: Madagascar's President and a presidential candidate Andry Rajoelina casts his ballot at a polling station during the presidential election in Ambatobe, Antananarivo, Madagascar November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Zo Andrianjafy

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar's incumbent President Andry Rajoelina has cemented his lead in an election marked by low turnout and an opposition boycott, and appeared poised to secure a third term on Monday, with over a third of voting centres reporting results.

Rajoelina, a 49-year-old entrepreneur and former DJ who first rose to power on the Indian Ocean island in a 2009 coup, had garnered 62.9% of the vote by late on Sunday, from a turnout of just 43.1%, preliminary results shared by the election commission showed.