Madagascar court declares Rajoelina as election winner

Madagascar‘s High Constitutional Court has declared former leader Andry Rajoelina as the winner of the country’s bitterly contested presidential election.

Rejecting all complaints filed over the results, the court on Tuesday said Rajoelina won with more than 55 percent of the vote in the Indian Ocean island nation’s runoff election last month.

Rajoelina’s main challenger, former President Marc Ravalomanana, received more than 44 percent, the court said.

Just over 48 percent of the country’s 10 million registered voters cast their ballots in the vote.

Allegations of fraud

Ravalomanana had denounced the runoff results, alleging massive fraud on election day and during vote-counting.

He filed more than 200 petitions and complaints with the court, and his supporters have held protestsin recent days in Antananarivo, the capital.

Ravalomanana had to quit the presidency in 2009 after a series of military-backed challenges supported by Rajoelina, who was mayor of Antananarivo at