Madagascar – Rajoelina replaced

The crisis in Madagascar has taken another twist.

Andry Rajoelina, who had declared himself head of the executive and who was calling for the destitution of the President Ravalomanana, has been replaced as mayor of Antananarivo. The decision was made by the Minister of the Interior, who is loyal to the president of course. A special administrator has been appointed to replace Rajoelina.

However, in turn, Rajoelina appointed one of the assistant mayors as his successor. According to l’Express de Madagascar, Rajoelina justified his decision by implying that his other duties – i.e. his self-proclaimed position as head of the executive – required him to step down.

Therefore, the capital now has two ‘mayors’ and the country two ‘presidents’!

Unsurprisingly, Rajoelina failed in his bid to have the High Constitutional Court consider his call for the destitution of President Ravalomanana. The Court is filled with pro-government supporters. In addition, l’Express de Madagascar reports that High Court of Justice, which is the institution that is meant to be responsible for dealing with charges against political leaders according to the 1992 constitution, has never been established.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *