With the closing of the polls on Wednesday, Madagascar officially ended its presidential run-off elections between Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana.

While results are expected to be released in about a week, both camps seem to have declared themselves winners of the run-offs via recent statements made to the press, signalling a tense period ahead for the Indian Ocean island.

In the first round of elections, Rajoelina pulled more votes than Ravalomanana with 39 percent as opposed to the latter’s 35 percent. However, both camps ended up levelling allegations of fraud in the election process.

Rajoelina said: “I am sure I’m going to win but we’ll wait for the officials.” While Ravalomanana addressed his supporters saying, “Change is coming tomorrow, and today you can say that Papa is elected. Whatever happens, only one thing counts, we will win,” as reported by Daily Nation.

Ravalomanana was elected president in 2002 but later, violent protests masterminded and supported by Rajoelina (Mayor of Antananarivo, at the time) resulted in his resignation seven years later.

Both candidates were banned from contesting in 2013 as part of the agreements to curb tensions between their supporters, which resulted in the biggest crisis to affect the country, since its 1960 independence.

Analysts and observers have called on both candidates to wait patiently for the votes to be counted and collated for a more comprehensive sense of things, before making statements that could incite further tension in the country. They have been asked to refrain from actions that could taint the election process, although allegations of fraud allegations seem very likely, regardless of the outcome.