Madagascar Politics and Governance, a History

Attempting Democracy under Instability of Leadership.

____________________

Author

Noah Cobb

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Madagascar Politics and Governance, A History.

Madagascar Political Insider Overview

The former French colony in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Mozambique with a landmass 1.5 times that of Germany, but with a population of only 20 million, is now facing a huge humanitarian crisis, according to Natascha Paddison, acting Deputy Representative for UNICEF: The country’s health and education systems are not really working, they are crumbling, she says.

Following the 2009 coup d’état by former mayor of Antananarivo, Mr. Marc Ravalomanana was ousted by Andy Rajoelina who is now heading the High Transitional Authority (HTA), the unrecognized government of Madagascar. The unconstitutional change of power by Rajoelina has made an already dire situation much worse: Following the coup all aid to Madagascar was suspended, explains Paddison, that is catastrophic for a country where foreign aid accounted for 70 % of the national budget, she continues.

Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries and has had a negative growth of GDP in the last year; its external debt is now almost 3 billion US dollars. In the last two years 77 % of the population have been living on less than 1.25 dollars a day, Paddison says. According to a US Congress report Madagascar’s infant mortality rate is over 5% and three-quarters of the population is living in rural areas.

The goal is to have free and fair elections taking place in Madagascar as soon as possible, but that has so far been impossible, says Paddison. The current government simply has no vested interest in letting free and fair elections take place, there are rumours that they are so embroiled in corruption themselves, she explains. The main political opposition leaders are living in exile in South Africa and France. The political impasse makes humanitarian help very difficult Paddison says and continues, in 2010 the government cut its health budget by 30% there’s no new infrastructure in healthcare being built, no new schools. According to an Amnesty International report for 2011, Madagascan authorities have been violating human rights such as excessive use of force and violence, arbitrary arrests and detentions, limiting freedom of expression and unfair trials.

In addition to its political troubles Madagascar is a country prone to natural disasters like heavy floods and severe drought. Every year we have 3-4 cyclones that hit Madagascar and they knock down schools and houses and leave people pretty destitute, also in the south we have a lot of droughts and floods, it’s not helping the situation, Natascha Paddison explains. In addition Madagascar’s biologically diverse fauna is facing ever increasing pressure from deforestation, agricultural production and overgrazing, and desertification and water pollution. Paddison says it is highly likely that the government itself is causing damage to the environment: There is evidence that there is a lot of illegal foresting going on, in addition there are some ruling families that control all of Madagascar’s mining for precious stones like diamonds, gold, sapphires, while the population suffers.

This combination of political misrule and volatile weather leaves Madagascar and its people in dire straits. The problem is that the government is not prioritizing the social sectors. It is channeling the money into its own affairs, says Paddison and adds that the only way forward is to help people directly rather than through government channels: "We have a 60 million dollar trust fund for education that usually goes to the government for dealing with these kinds of problems, but recently this fund has gone to UNICEF. We pay local authorities for health workers and teachers directly

Madagascar Political Transformation

Executive Summary

The year 2013 was a turning point in Madagascar’s political history. After almost five years of political crisis following 2009’s unconstitutional change of government, which led to a deep governance crisis, international isolation and sanctions, Madagascar succeeded in organizing general elections (presidential and parliamentary), a necessary step toward ending the crisis and restoring international and regional relations. As Madagascar once again possesses elected institutions and is recognized as a potential international and regional partner, the conditions are ripe for an improvement in democratic and economic performance.

However, challenges for these elected institutions remain massive. The country has experienced a decline in most social and economic indicators, and remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Indeed, though a large segment of the population has long experienced frequent disruptions stemming from natural disasters, international economic shocks, malnutrition or sickness, the situation has deteriorated considerably since 2009. Moreover, the five-year transitional period was characterized by institutional decay, widespread corruption and illegal trafficking.

Indeed, the consequences of the crisis are still hampering governance, economic and social progress. Drastic changes in governance mechanisms, the management of resources, social expenditures and political will are needed if the country is to recover fully from the deep impact of the crisis. However, from 2013 to 2015, the country’s politics were mainly dominated by the organization of elections and the creation of a new government. Political tensions continued to complicate the political landscape, slowing the creation of the government and the formulation of the strategic plans needed to tackle the society’s challenges. Expectations for the new government are high at both the national and international levels, and there is strong pressure to deliver immediate results following the conclusion of the political crisis.

Making a promising beginning, policymakers have set clear political and economic-development objectives through the elaboration of a variety of strategic plans. External expertise and recommendations from international partners and donors have played a strong role in the development of these strategic documents. The donor community is again willing to assist the country, and the government has shown itself open to close collaboration with the international donor community (IMF, World Bank, European Union, U.N. agencies, bilateral donors), despite the imposition of reform requirements as a condition of unlocking aid. Moreover, political attention is invested in the national reconciliation process, with all former and current presidents uniting behind this issue for the first time in the country’s history.

Despite these rather positive signs, progress over the last two years has been muted in all areas, creating a general frustration. In terms of economic growth, Madagascar is not yet at the average level for sub-Saharan Africa. By the end of the review period, it was clear that the country would not achieve its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the close of 2015. Moreover, although Madagascar does have assets such as natural resources, land, touristic appeal, a free zone (export-processing zone) for textile manufacturing, and ICT-related services, the country will have to settle its recurrent political unrest, fight corruption, train its workforce, improve its infrastructure and improve its health and education systems before being accepted as a partner deserving of international trust, enabling it to achieve economic growth.

As a consequence of these generally subdued results, as well as the continuing social unrest, the Roger Kolo government was forced to resign on 12 January 2015, before having completed a full year in office. A new government led by Prime Minister Jean Ravelonarivo took office on 25 January 2015, and is expected to put in place policies that will allow for results that can improve democracy and market economy.

History and Characteristics of Transformation

While many African states were created by colonial forces, Madagascar’s modern era began with the Merina King Andrianampoinimerina (1787 – 1810), who began the process of taking control of the Highlands, first through the twelve sacred hills of Imerina and then toward the coasts. When the French deposed the monarchy in 1896, the colonial power had merely to take advantage of the administrative system in place. The Merina system of slavery was abolished, but the caste system was adopted in order to develop a new plantation system. Even the system of taxation established by the Merina monarchy was maintained in order to pay for labor and infrastructure development. The Malagasy uprising of 1947 was one of the most violent anywhere in the colonial world, with an estimated 100,000 losing their lives, but it helped bring about the French Loi Cadre of 1956, and ultimately the move to an independent Madagascar on 26 June 1960.

The president of Madagascar’s First Republic (1960 – 1972), Philibert Tsiranana, is largely viewed as having remained too close to France. Social movements in the capital led to a peaceful handover to military government. Vice Admiral Didier Ratsiraka adopted a particular brand of scientific socialism in 1975. By 1979, poor economic decisions led to a complete depletion of foreign reserves. Ratsiraka called on the IMF and instead adopted a market-oriented economy.

Political change came in the form of a civil servants’ strike that led to the establishment of a transitional government on 31 October 1991. A new constitution was ratified a few months later, and the country’s first nominally democratic elections were held in November 1992, bringing Albert Zafy to office. The Zafy period was marked by economic decline, and he was impeached on 26 July 1996 after manipulating a constitutional change and being charged with corruption and abuse of power. The 1996 election was an exercise in banality, with the choice between the disgraced Zafy, the technocratic interim president Norbert Ratsirahonana, and Didier Ratsiraka running as a new kind of democrat. Ratsiraka won, changed the constitution through popular referendum, and set out to consolidate much of the character of the Second Republic.

The 2001 elections gave rise to a conflict between acting president Ratsiraka and Marc Ravalomanana, the mayor of Antananarivo and a self-made millionaire. After six months of social, political and economic conflict, Ravalomanana was recognized as president of the republic. Although he was reelected in 2006, and his administration did usher in economic progress, his domination of both the political and economic spheres led to conflict and political unrest. In 2009, President Ravalomanana relinquished control to a military directorate, who then gave the power to Andry Rajoelina, the mayor of Antananarivo. The latter became president of the so-called High Authority of the Transition. Marc Ravalomanana was forced into exile to Swaziland, and then to South Africa. The unconstitutional change of government was heavily criticized by the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and much of the international community (United States, European Union, etc.) aside from France imposed sanctions. Consequently, Madagascar was deprived of foreign budget support.

In September 2011, 11 political parties signed a roadmap calling for presidential and legislative elections. These