Martial Law Declared Amid Election Dispute
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President Didier Ratsiraka declared martial law, saying two months of strikes and mass protests that turned violent this week left him with no other choice.
Tension has been rising on this island nation off the southeast coast of Africa since a disputed presidential election in December. The gatherings have been mostly peaceful, but the strikes have “devastated the economy,” Ratsiraka said.
Ratsiraka fired the civilian governor of the capital, Antananarivo, and replaced him with a general.
The strikes cost the country $12 million a day, Ratsiraka said.
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