Candidates splurge on island poll
Grand firework displays, giant screens and chartered helicopters – leading contenders in Madagascar’s Wednesday elections have been battling to outdo each other with extravagant campaigning in stark contrast to the deep poverty of voters.
In the capital, Antananarivo, former president Andry Rajoelina flies to his campaign headquarters – also his television station – in a helicopter.
Hery Rajaonarimampianina, who is hoping to retain power, draws big music stars to his rallies.
Likewise, millionaire former president Marc Ravalomanana showed off similarly at a rally at Mahamasina stadium in Antananarivo, featuring a giant airship displaying his portrait.
Former party organiser Rajoelina exhibits a little more opulence at his rallies.
He steps on stage doling out promises backed by video clips on giant screens, topped off with blaring music and fireworks.
Avoiding atrociously bad roads – characteristic of the country – the three front-run- ners in Wednesday’s election have criss-crossed the large Indian Ocean island in helicopters and flooded cities and villages with their campaign Tshirts and other paraphernalia.
The three have all ruled over the island nation, which has been getting progressively poorer since independence from France in 1960, according to researchers.
Madagascar is now ranked among one of the world’s poorest nations, but election campaigns in the country are expensive and extravagant.
A European Union-sponsored study in 2016 found that Rajaonarimampianina blew R610m on his campaign for the 2013 election – R305.25 for each vote cast for him – making it by far the most expensive campaign globally.
He spent nearly twice as much as US President Donald Trump on each person who voted for him, according to the study.
EU observer team head Cristian Preda said the budgets for this year’s campaign had been shocking.
The three, who are leading the pack of 36 candidates in the race, have been discreet with their campaign budgets.
One candidate had the audacity to complain “that he was short of $100m [R1.4bn] to win”, Preda said.
Civic groups Rony and TIIM have jointly deplored “the indecency of deploying massive resources by some candidates in the face of poverty”.
There is no limit to how much finance a candidate can spend on election campaigns in Madagascar.
Transparency International country boss Ketakandriana Rafitoson said: “What is scandalous is that we do not know where the money comes from” in a country that is plagued by corruption.
Frustrated fringe candidate Ny Rado Rafalimanana said: “If we are the poorest country in the world, it’s because of these people.” –