Antananarivo | Tuesday
MARC Ravalomanana, who has been officially declared president of Madagascar, will be sworn in to office on Friday in the capital Antananarivo, political and judicial sources said on Tuesday.
Ravalomanana, who was declared on Monday by a constitutional court to have won a long-disputed presidential election held in December, will take the oath of office in the capital’s Mahamasina stadium, the sources said.
The announcement came in an island dangerously divided between his backers, strong in the capital where Ravalomanana is mayor, and supporters of outgoing head of state Didier Ratsiraka, who is refusing to back down.
The High Constitutional Court (HCC) declared Ravalomana president after a recount of first round presidential election results gave him 51,46% of the vote — an absolute majority — against Ratsiraka’s 35,90%.
Ratsiraka, who said on Sunday that he considered the HCC to be “illegal” and would not accept its new tally, has made no public statements on the court’s proclamation.
However, top officials in Ratsiraka’s government on Monday vowed not to accept the HCC’s declaration, in a statement issued following an emergency meeting in Toamasina, their ad hoc capital since February.
“This proclamation, made by people who are at the same time judges and parties… could in no case be accepted,” said the communiqu signed by Prime Minister Tantely Andrianarivo, Senate president Honore Rakotomanana, and Ange Andrianarisoa, the president of the national assembly.
They said the HCC judges had participated in a ceremony in February where Ravalomanana declared himself president and were therefore not suited to rule on Monday.
The court declaration produced ripples of discontent and fear across the Indian Ocean island nation.
The pro-Ratsiraka governor of northern Antsirana province, Governor Jean-Robert Gara, threatening Monday to secede.
And the governor in northwestern Mahajanga province, Etienne Razafindehibe, said that he feared “there will be a hardening of positions in the provinces loyal to Mr Ratsiraka” and warned that violence could erupt in the divided country. – AFP