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The 49-year-old President vowed to act with integrity to lift the country of 29 million out of its poverty and assured that the country would continue to focus on its development path.
Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina took the oath on Saturday (yesterday) to start a new term as Madagascar’s leader. Most of the opposition parties boycotted the election and the swearing-in ceremony because irregularities existed in the election. The 49-year-old President vowed to act with integrity to lift the country of 29 million out of its poverty and assured that the country would continue to focus on its development path. Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world despite having rich natural resources.
The swearing ceremony was conspicuous by the absence of two previous presidents, Marc Ravalomanana and Hery Rajaonarimampianina, who attended Rajoelina’s last inauguration in 2018. Political analysts attribute their absence to tensions brewing in the new administration. Both were part of an opposition coalition that held near-daily protests for weeks before the November 16 vote to denounce what they called a constitutional coup d’etat by the president to stay in office. www.trendsnafrica.com has reported about such developments during the campaign build for the election.
Demonstrations were banned in the capital, Antananarivo, for five days ahead of Saturday’s ceremony. Most of the opposition candidates boycotted the election and the coalition has insisted it will not recognise the result. Rajoelina secured victory without needing a second-round vote, though only 46 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. Rajoelina, who became president the first time without an election in 2009 after Ravalomanana was ousted in a military mutiny, has quickly faced international pressure.
It may be recalled that after the election, ambassadors from the European Union, United States, and other major donor countries expressed concern at tensions and incidents that marked the campaign. The US State Department said that domestic and international election observers noted irregularities in the electoral process. Western nations said in a joint statement that Rajoelina must restore confidence conducive to dialogue and carry out legal and electoral reforms ahead of future votes.
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Rajoelina said that he would devote his new term to boosting the livelihoods in what is one of the world’s poorest countries, despite its natural wealth. Madagascar is the world’s biggest producer of vanilla. But the pricy product has lost much of its sheen as the price falls amid sluggish world demand. It has severely impaired Island Country’s foreign exchange earnings. About 75 percent of the population lives below the poverty level. The president has visited poor parts of the capital in recent days handing out solar lamps in areas that have no electricity.
