Martial Law Declared in Madagascar's Capital

Martial law has been declared in the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, following clashes between supporters and opponents of the government over the results of the presidential election held in December. The government implemented a nighttime curfew after street fights broke out between hundreds of supporters of opposition leader Marc Ravalomanana and supporters of President Didier Ratsiraka, resulting in at least one death and ten injuries. Ravalomanana has rejected the election results and is calling for a second round of elections to continue his competition with Ratsiraka. He claims to have decisively won the election on December 16. Since the election, his supporters have staged nearly daily protests across the country. The United Nations Security Council has urged both sides to find a political solution to their disputes and to end the current crisis. The declaration of martial law deepens the political crisis in this island nation. This news comes after demonstrators, both for and against the government, clashed over the presidential election results. Since the first round of the presidential election on March 16, widespread protests from both supporters and opponents of the government and general strikes have paralyzed Madagascar. Opposition leader Marc Ravalomanana states that he achieved the necessary threshold in the first round of elections and that a second round is unnecessary.