Antananarivo (Agenzia Fides) – The crisis that has been unleashed in Madagascar, with the resignation of President Marc Ravalomanana in March of this year, has led to intense diplomatic activity on the part of the African Union, and especially, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which has suspended the island from the association.
The African institution still considers Ravalomanana the legitimate President of Madagascar, as he claims to have been physically pressured by the army and supporters of former Antananarivo Mayor Andry Rajoelina. This is the new “strong man” of the island, having assumed the role of President of the High Authority of Transition, which was created shortly after the resignation of Ravalomanana, who had signed over powers to a military leadership, deprived of all constitutional legitimacy. The members of the military then decided to sign over powers to Rajoelina, who since January of this year, had been carrying out a campaign in protest against President Ravalomanana, ending with his resignation.
The High Authority of Transition, presided by Rajoelina, is not called for in Madagascar's Constitution and is considered illegitimate by the opposition and by the international community, however it is formed by civilians and not members of the military. Rajoelina has also stated that the Authority has the task of reforming the Constitution and preparing for new elections, however it is evident that this process, in order to be truly credible, should involve the participation of all the political forces on the island. The pressures from the international community also run the risk of isolating Madagascar. This is why Rajoelina finally agreed to negotiations in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, which were also attended by Ravalomanana and another two former Presidents of Madagascar, Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy. After five days of intense negotiation, on August 9, the four political factions of Madagascar reached an accord, which calls for the creation of a series of transitional institutions including: President, Vice-President, a government of national unity presided by a Prime Minister of “Consensus,” with three Vice-Prime Ministers and 28 Ministers; a Parliament formed by a Council of Governors of the Transition (the Upper House, 65 seats) and a Transitional Congress (the Lower House, 258 seats), in addition to other juridical, economic, and security institutions. These institutions would reform the Constitution and call for new elections in 15 months. There has also been an amnesty agreement for both Ravalomanana (sentenced to 4 years for a situation regarding the purchase of the Presidential airplane) and Ratsiraka (sentenced to 10 years of forced labor, living in exile in France since 2002).
Shortly after the signing of the agreement, certain disagreements were seen among the 4 participants on the distribution of the seats in the institutions agreed to in the accord (especially that of the President, the Premier, and the Vice-President). On August 28, Maputo finished without an agreement. At the beginning of September, the situation ran the risk of worsening when Ravalomanana, Ratsiraka, and Zafy made an appeal to the military to assume powers ad interim. The request was rejected by military commanders. This appeal probably influence Rajoelina's decision to form a new unilateral executive committee. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 9/9/2009)