Page 12 - aruba-today-20181218

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 18 december 2018

Madagascar's presidential runoff pits 2 ex-heads of state

By LAETITIA BEZAIN streets with ringing chants manana said. He had to
ANTANANARIVO, Mada- for one candidate or the quit the presidency in 2009
gascar (AP) — The Indian other. after a series of military-
Ocean island nation of Ten million voters are reg- backed challenges sup-
Madagascar goes to the istered in what the World ported by Rajoelina, who
polls on Wednesday for a Bank calls one of the was the capital's mayor at
runoff presidential election world's poorest nations, the time.
that features two former though one rich in eco- For his part, Rajoelina has
heads of state who have a logical diversity. More than responded that "we must
prickly past. two-thirds of the population fight against dictatorship
Andry Rajoelina received of 25 million live in extreme and egoism."
39 percent of the vote in poverty, while corruption is In a poor neighborhood of
the first round, while Marc widespread. the capital, Manarintsoa
Ravalomanana got 35 per- The 44-year-old Rajoelina Atsinanana, the candi-
cent. They face off for the says Madagascar needs A man cycles past a street vendor with election posters in Anta- dates' promises are inspir-
first time since political tur- a young leader and he nanarivo, Madagascar, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018. ing few people to dream.
moil in 2009 forced Ravalo- pitches grand plans for the Associated Press "I'm one of those people
manana from power. Both future. He was president who will never be con-
have said they will accept from 2009 to 2014 during a helicopters to help a rural speech in the capital early vinced because no matter
the runoff's results. transitional government. southern community com- this month. who it is, Ravalomanana or
The capital, Antananarivo, "I will build a factory that bat banditry. The rivals have used the Rajoelina, they'll never put
is vibrant in the final days makes solar panels so that For his part, the 69-year-old campaign to snipe at each any food on my plate. They
before the vote with the every home will have elec- Ravalomanana, who led other, highlighting their ignore the people's pover-
orange T-shirts of Rajoelina tricity," he vowed during Madagascar from 2002 to tense history. ty," Tatiana Rabenirina said
and the white and green a rally on Friday in Miand- 2009, is appealing to voters "We need a democrat, not bitterly. She stood in front
ones of Ravalomanana rivazo in the central part based on his experience. a putschist. We will not ac- of her tiny home fashioned
worn by hundreds of sup- of the country. The previ- "You need a competent, cept a president who di- from planks and other odds
porters. Minibuses fill the ous day he promised 10 mature leader," he said in a vides the country," Ravalo- and ends.q

Cambodia's biggest hydropower dam now producing electricity

By SOPHENG CHEANG ity by 20 percent, accord- two tributaries of the Me-
Associated Press ing to the Ministry of Mines kong River and devastate
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia and Energy. the livelihoods and homes
(AP) — Cambodia's larg- It was built over four years of thousands of people. As
est hydropower project of- at a cost of nearly $800 mil- many as 100,000 people
ficially began producing lion and is a joint venture could lose the ability to
electricity Monday as the of China's Hydrolancang catch fish.
country tries to increase its International Energy, which The dam is the seventh
energy capacity to reduce has a 51 percent stake, commercial-scale hydro-
energy imports and help Cambodia's Royal Group power dam in Cambodia,
jump-start industrial expan- with 39 percent and Viet- bringing hydropower pro-
sion. nam's EVN International duction to 1,328 mega-
Prime Minister Hun Sen inau- with 10 percent. watts.
gurated the 400-megawatt The dam is expected to Hydropower supplies 45
Lower Sesan II hydropower bring in almost $30 million percent of Cambodia's
dam in the northeastern in tax revenue yearly. Own- electricity consumption, fol-
province of Stung Treng. ership will be handed over lowed by 35 percent from
In this Jan. 10, 2018, file photo, China's Premier Li Keqiang, left,
heads to the meeting room with his Cambodian counterpart The project, constructed to the government after 40 coal-fired power plants
Hun Sen before the opening of the Mekong-Lancang Coopera- on a build-operate-transfer years. and about 5 percent from
tion forum Leaders Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. basis, will boost the coun- Opponents say the dam will petroleum and alternative
Associated Press try's production of electric- damage the biodiversity of energy.q