Madagascar's PM: Not supporting any candidate to presidential election

Madagascar's Prime Minister Omer Beriziky said on Friday that he is not supporting any candidate to July's presidential election. "As Malagasy citizen, I have the right to support a candidate, but as consensual prime minister of the transition, I officially declare that the prime minister office does not have any candidate to support," Beriziky said during a press conference on Friday. Omer Beriziky added the government will ask more explanation from the electoral special court (CES) which created polemics in the country when CES accepted the participation of the president of transition Andry Rajoelina to the presidential election, even though he was late to put his application. About the resolution of political dialogue led by the council of Churches in Madagascar, which planned to set up a new transition and postpone the election to avoid the cyclical political crisis in the country, the prime minister said that he respected the churches council for their initiative of reconciliation, but the only way to resolve the crisis in the country is the election. A total of 41 candidates will compete in the first round of presidential election scheduled to be held on July 24, 2013, according to the official list announced by the CES. The second round will be held simultaneously with the legislative elections on Sept. 25, 2013.