Madagascar waits for election result

Some voters complained they were not registered

By Richard Hamilton BBC correspondent in Antananarivo

The counting of votes has been going on throughout Sunday night in Madagascar in the elections to the country's parliament.

The vote was the first major test of the popularity of President Marc Ravalomanana, in the wake of the political crisis that followed disputed presidential elections last year.

Parties backing Mr Ravalomanana are expecting to gain a majority in the National Assembly.

Information from the 17,000 polling stations throughout the country is being amassed and government officials say the final result may not be known until 25 December.

Information from the regions is being collated in the offices of the Interior Ministry, while counts from the capital are being consolidated in another building, the Palais des Sports.

No-one doubts that Mr Ravalomanana is the real centre of attention

Early indications are that turnout in the capital was higher than in the provinces, with average turnout in Antananarivo reported to be more than 60%, compared to about 50% in the countryside and on the coast.

Officials here are understandably reluctant to make projections about the result, bearing in mind the chaos that followed the presidential elections.

Although ostensibly a vote for 160 candidates to the National Assembly, most people saw the poll as nothing less than a referendum for Mr Ravalomanana.

The question was, does he really command enough support to be the legitimate president, and will the international community now unlock its funds for this poor and often forgotten corner of Africa?