Thousands of demonstrators protesting presidential election results were dispersed with tear gas and stun grenades in Antananarivo January 7. It was the second demonstration in four days and the crowd was estimated to number 30,000. According to the official tally, no candidate won a majority of the votes in the Dec. 16 election, but opposition supporters claim widespread fraud and believe that their candidate won 52 percent of the vote. If the courts validate the results, a runoff between the top two candidates will occur 30 days later. Tensions could remain high and further protests are likely to produce a crackdown.
