Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, came to a standstill Monday, as more than half a million protesters took to the streets to pressure the government to concede power.

Banks, businesses and administrative offices were shut down and the Indian Ocean island's main airport came to a halt as the opposition protesters pressed ahead with a general strike.

Opposition presidential candidate Marc Ravalomanana, who is also mayor of Antananarivo, called for the indefinite strike to pressure the government to resign following December elections he claims to have won.

He rejected the High Constitutional Court's ruling that ordered a second-round run-off and accused election officials of rigging the polls in favor of President Didier Ratsiraka.

Results from the presidential polls showed neither Mr. Ravalomanana nor President Ratsiraka won an outright majority. The opposition claims Mr. Ravalomanana won the election outright and has mounted mass protests in Antananarivo over the past three weeks.

The government said Sunday it would proceed with a second round of elections on February 24 in the island of 15 million people off the southeast coast of Africa.

Mr. Ravalomanana is a self-made millionaire who started his career hawking yogurts on the streets and burst onto the political stage in 1999, promising to raise living standards.

President Ratsiraka, a former admiral, has been in power for more than 20 years and is seen by many as the father of the nation. He promises continuity and stability.

Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AFP.

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