The Revd Todd McGregor, a missionary from the Diocese of Southeast Florida who has worked in Madagascar for the past ten years, sent an urgent request for prayer early on the morning of Friday 25 January.

At an informal dinner at McGregor's home the previous night, Archbishop Rémi Rabenirina, primate of the Province of the Indian Ocean and bishop of Antananarivo, gave McGregor an alarming view of the political situation in Madagascar.

"The country has spent the last month waiting for an answer to the election of 15 December," McGregor explained. "There is contention on who has won the election. [Didier] Ratsiraka, the former president of about 26 years, is refusing to step down and says that he received the majority of votes. His opposition refuses to accept this, as he has reason to believe that the former president has made an illegal election, stuffing ballot boxes and paying people to 'miscount' votes and vote for him. It is not a pretty situation.

"Since the election, there has been a recount, of which the opposition was found to win by a majority vote, again the president refusing to step down... Archbishop Rémi has heard that the former (current) president will announce his re-election, stating that he has won by a majority vote. The Malagasy people will not accept this and to quote Archbishop Rémi, 'there will be bloodshed for sure.'"

The nation's high court ruled on 25 January that neither candidate had won enough votes to be declared president, and set a second round of voting for February 24. The announcement triggered widespread strikes and massive protest demonstrations by supporters of the opposition candidate.

McGregor said that although US president George W. Bush has written to Rasiraka, asking that he step down peacefully, the 20% of the military who back the former president are ready to fight to keep him in power.

He added that the archbishop feels the situation is worse than in 1991, when the country was "shut down for months" by a general strike and 137 people were massacred by Ratsiraka's troops shooting from a helicopter.

The archbishop himself is on a list of persons - including three other religious leaders (Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed) - who would be arrested if Ratsiraka remains in power. He told the McGregors that he may need to leave Antananarivo and flee into the countryside for his own safety. "He is a bit concerned for his life, but even more so for the truth to be revealed in this country," said McGregor.

The missionary asked for prayer, specifically for protection for Archbishop Rémi and his family and for the opposition presidential candidate, Marc Ravalomanana, whose his life is being threatened; "for many innocent lives - that bloodshed would be kept to a minimum"; and "that the truth would be revealed and God's will would be done for the good of Madagascar."

He also asked for prayers for "stability and peace for our family." McGregor, his wife Patsy, and daughters Corby and Charese are scheduled to be on furlough in Florida beginning in August, but now fear they will have to leave their ministry in Madagascar "sooner than we think."

Article from ENS by Mary W Cox, director of communications for the Diocese of Southeast Florida.