Madagascar's government announced sweeping measures to crack down on dissent on Friday after Opposition candidate Marc Ravalomanana declared himself President.
Prime Minister Tantley Andrianarivo said that the government had banned demonstrations and granted police wider powers in response to the declaration by Ravalomanana, who says December 16 elections were rigged against him.
"The President of the Republic decrees a state of national necessity across the entire national territory for three months," Andrianarivo said in a statement broadcast on radio and television. "If necessary, the period could be prolonged."
Hundreds of thousands of Ravalomanana's supporters flocked around a stadium in the capital Antananarivo on Friday as he proclaimed the end of the government of President Didier Ratsiraka, who has been in power for more than 20 years.
Analysts said, "It was unclear who really held power on the giant Indian Ocean island," saying Ravalomanana lacked the institutional legitimacy to turn his popular support into elective office.

Bureau Report