In Madagascar, law enforcement officers deployed tear gas on October 2nd, 2023, against presidential candidates from the opposition. Eleven out of thirteen candidates had called on the population to gather at Place “du 13-Mai”, the capital’s iconic square where all political protests take place. However, a significant police presence prevented them from doing so. Several injuries and arrests were reported.
On Monday morning, presidential candidates in Madagascar, gearing up for the election’s first round on November 9, 2023, appeared determined to reach Place du 13-Mai. Despite heavy police presence surrounding the square since dawn, the candidates, accompanied by hundreds of supporters, marched until they confronted a significant security cordon at the entrance to the tunnel leading to the city center.
Discussions between candidates, their parliamentary representatives, and law enforcement lasted only a few minutes. Police and gendarmes quickly fired tear gas grenades into the crowd, resulting in five injuries, including two candidates and a senator, who were promptly evacuated to the nearest hospital.
Two individuals from the inner circle of candidate Marc Ravalomanana were arrested.
The gunfire continued for about twenty minutes before the neighborhood gradually returned to normalcy.