Madagascar bows to Oppn protests, scraps part of new electoral law
5 May 2018 4:20 AM IST
Antananarivo: Madagascar on Friday scrapped part of new electoral laws that have sparked nearly two weeks of protests, its highest court said, after the opposition accused the government of trying to elbow them out of the race ahead of a general election later this year.
Several elements of the laws, including the revision of electoral lists and the length of campaigns, went "against the constitution", according to a post on the court's website.
The opposition had argued the new laws benefited incumbent President Hery Rajaonarimampianina and called for his resignation seven months ahead of polls on the Indian Ocean island.
It came a day after the country's defence minister appealed to the warring political parties to reach an agreement, after anti-government protests erupted on April 21 in the capital Antananarivo.
On the first day of demonstrations two people were killed and at least 16 people wounded, with the police accused of firing real bullets at the crowd.
The large island, which has been beset by decades of political instability, is due to hold the election in late November or December. Conditions for presidential candidature and the use of single ballots were also among the details that have been dropped, the statement said. The opposition had alleged that the new laws could bar some candidates from standing in the presidential election.
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