A first cordon of security forces, described by the French news agency as “anti-riot police,” retreated as the protesters advanced. But then a second group of policemen, positioned closer to the palace, opened fire. Bloody bodies were soon strewn in the street as panicked demonstrators ran for cover.  Vivo radio, which is owned by Mr. Rajoelina, said the death toll was “about 50,” though most other accounts put the figure at 20 to 30. The number of wounded was variously estimated at 80 to 300.  Within hours, Mr. Ravalomanana and Mr. Rajoelina each appeared on television and traded accusations. The president expressed his condolences to the families of the dead and appealed for calm. He also blamed Mr. Rajoelina for inciting the crowd and ordering them into peril.  Mr. Rajoelina, on the other hand, said that only a callous dictator would order soldiers to fire on the helpless masses, including children. “The people were not armed,” he said. “They had only their courage.”  On Jan. 26, at the conclusion of a similar rally, protesters rampaged through the streets of the capital, setting fire to factories and stores belonging to Mr. Ravalomanana. The president’s television station was also attacked, presumably in retaliation for the government’s having closed one belonging to Mr. Rajoelina.  Some 100 people in Antananarivo and elsewhere died during those disturbances, but then the situation seemed to quiet, even after Mr. Rajoelina declared he was ruling the country, even after President Ravalomanana reasserted his own authority by announcing that he had fired his rival as mayor.  Madagascar sits about 300 miles off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. Over the centuries, exotic species of animals and plants developed there in splendid isolation, and the island has long been a favorite for eco-tourists.  But the politics of the former French colony have been less winsome than the lemurs that swing through the trees or the chameleons that scamper in the brush. Disputed elections in 2001 left the country with two presidents, two governments and two capitals.  Mr. Ravalomanana triumphed then, and easily won re-election in 2006. His popularity has since diminished, especially among those impatient for prosperity in a nation where the majority lives on less than $1 a day.  Mr. Rajoelina has been able to portray his opponent as a man aloof to Madagascar’s suffering, an allegation made more credible by some of the president’s own actions.  The government purchased an expensive airplane for Mr. Ravalomanana’s use and, in a country where land is cherished as a sacred legacy, negotiations were opened for a long-term lease of millions of acres of farmland to Daewoo, the South Korean corporation.  A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A8 of the New York edition with the headline: Police in Madagascar Kill More Than 20 During Protest. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Security forces in Madagascar fired on a crowd of protesters outside one of the country’s presidential palaces in the capital city on Saturday.