Elections in Madagascar

Candidates running for public offices in Madagascar elections, take campaigns to Social media

Malagasy presidential candidate, Paul Rabary, answered questions from Internet users in a video broadcast live on Facebook. All Paul Rabary used for his campaign were; a microphone, a laptop, a smartphone and some lighting. The Malagasy people do not subscribe to expensive campaigns. But how important are social networks to presidential candidates and what is their communication strategy? The presidential candidate racing for Presidency under the auspices of the MIASA party, said, “I, as a candidate, don’t spend much money on campaigning, I don’t have a helicopter, I don’t distribute T-shirts. I’m a candidate, I don’t have a bodyguard. I’m a candidate, I’m campaigning on a motorcycle and not a 4×4." According to Nadia Raonimanalina, who is Communication Manager to one of the presidential candidates, they have opted to send reminder text messages requesting their supporters to vote for their candidate. She said, “We follow our media plan, we follow our communication plan as well as our communication strategy." In Madagascar, the Rajoelina machine controls the media space. While 5% of Malagasy people have access to the Internet and 75% live in extreme poverty, the presidential campaign is still in full swing and we will be bringing you more updates.