Madagascar president offers poll

Mr Ravalomanana said he was not afraid of holding a referendum

Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana has said he is prepared to hold a referendum to end the country's political crisis.

The move comes amid growing tensions in the capital Antananarivo, with Mr Ravalomanana vowing to ignore opposition calls to resign.

The opposition had earlier threatened to march on the presidential palace if Mr Ravalomanana refused to stand down.

At least 100 people have been killed since protests broke out in January.

Mr Ravalomanana told thousands of his supporters gathered outside the presidential palace that he was "not afraid" of holding a referendum.

"We must follow democratic principles. If we have to, we will organise a referendum," he said.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Antananarivo said Mr Ravalamanana's offer was an indication of how much pressure he was under from the opposition, led by the capital's former mayor, Andry Rajoelino.

It was not immediately clear what the content of the proposed referendum would be, but the president's special advisers told the BBC it would be along the lines of whether Mr Ravalamanana should remain in office.