Johannesburg — Thousands of followers of the self-proclaimed president of Madagascar, the opposition leader Marc Ravalomanana, surrounded his house Saturday, forming a human barricade. They pledged to block any attempt to arrest Ravalomanana and closed off roads leading to his home with cars to prevent access to the house.
As evening fell, the crowds kept up their vigil in the rain, as appeals went out to bring them food.
The barricade was mounted a day after Ravalomanana declared himself president of the island nation, Friday. The 'inauguration' was followed Friday night by the announcement of a three month state of emergency by the government of the incumbent president Didier Ratsiraka, who stands accused by Ravalomanana of rigging the disputed December election in Madagascar.
In defiance of the sweeping new emergency laws, which outlaw public demonstrations, large crowds descended on the capital, Antananarivo on Saturday. Many gathered at May 13 Square where, for the past few weeks, opposition supporters have held protests contesting Ratsiraka's continued leadership, which have paralysed the city.
On Saturday, the situation in the capital was said to be calm, but tense.
President Ratsiraka, 67, is reported to have left Antananarivo and moved to a hideout in the east of the island, where he has considerable support.
Ravalomanana, 52, the popular and wealthy mayor of Antananarivo, announced Wednesday that he was seizing power from a bankrupt government, which had stolen the election, and would be sworn in on Friday at the city's main stadium.
The High Constitutional Court ruled that Ravalomanana won only 46.2% against Ratsiraka's 40.8%, and confirmed the need for a second round run-off. But Ravalomanana insists he won the election outright, with 52% of the vote.
On Tuesday, it appeared that Ravalomanana had agreed to round two of the election on 24 March, a deal brokered by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Ratsiraka then indicated that he would respect the OAU decision of a second round of voting, which also met the approval of the world community as the only constitutional way forward for Madagascar. He later changed his mind.
The OAU secretary-general, Amara Essy, "firmly condemned the illegal action" of Ravalomanana on Friday. Observers in Antananarivo said Ravalomanana's supporters were furious with Essy for "siding" with the Ratsiraka government. "Essy has betrayed us," said one anti-government protestor.
The European Union, and France, have also denounced Ravalomanana's decision to proclaim himself president,
Demonstrators were said to be angry with the French government, and especially the French Embassy in the capital. France is the former colonial power in Madagascar and protestors accuse the French authorities of "still controlling our lives through the dictator (Ratsiraka)."
In Mauritius, the French cooperation and development minister, Charles Josselin, joined foreign ministers from the Comoros Islands, Madagascar and the Seychelles for a meeting of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), Saturday.
"We are very worried by the situation in Madagascar," said Josselin, adding: "we had hoped that, with the dialogue undertaken after pressure was brought to bear by the international community, a settlement would be possible with a postponed second round (election) to guarantee transparency." But, continued the French minister, "we learnt that this hope had been dashed. A candidate even proclaimed himself president, which is not in line with the rule of law."
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The IOC council of ministers urged the two rival Malagasy presidential contenders to end the impasse and resume negotiations to resolve the political crisis "in line with democracy and the principles of international law."
"We hope that the political leaders will bring themselves back into line with the law, " concluded Josselin.
Observers note that although Ravalomanana has popular support, especially in his stronghold of Antananarivo, he does not have the constitution on his side. Ratsiraka remains the constitutional leader of Madagascar, but may not hold true power. However, he is better known in rural areas where 80 percent of Malagasy still live.
