HAT electoral project: the organic law in consultation

The law project ruling March 20th’s legislative polls is keeping districts as being the reference electoral circumscriptions. As they always used to be, Antananarivo’s six districts, corresponding to the capital city’s precincts, and the five other former provinces’ country seats, are represented by a couple of deputies. Cities with more than 150 000 inhabitants are also entitled to a couple of representatives in the national parliament. The other towns with less than 150 000 inhabitants will only have one deputy.  

The organic law project is foreseeing 187 deputies in all. Since it will be first and foremost a constituent Assembly, parliamentarians will be granted the title of Madagascar’s deputy again. The HAT, officially January 6th and 7th, 2010’s task meeting adopted the single round majority vote. There will be no power sharing for the circumscriptions with a couple of representatives. The first one on the finish line will be both candidates’ leader in Tsimbazaza. This system pledges an advantage to the young strong party of the moment, which is only represented in the cities. It is nearly a golden parachute for the TGV.  

No debate has emerged so far, apart from the one concerning the initiative’s unilateralism, politically as well as democratically incorrect in a transitional period. But Lord Andry Rajoelina decided that the constituent assembly’s deputies will be maintained during the fourth Republic. Their mandate is lasting five years. The HAT is keeping on this way, ignoring law experts’ denounciation of such a judicial deviation. This strategy is actually the alternative to a far too elusive referendum.    

The other mobilities opposed to Andry Rajoelina are very likely going to boycott the unilateral legislative elections, and they could run campaign for « No » in case of popular consultation. The leading question behind this Constitutional project will be time and time again: would you like to lower the driver’s legal age and allow the TGV to run the presidential contest? Could the question be matched to the climate, it would not have to appear in the fundamental law, but only in the electoral code.  

The organic law project ruling the legislative elections meant to be held on March 20th, 2010 is being worked up by regional chiefs. Popular consultations will be conducted. The process is rather clumsy since the new electoral code is still quite far from being voted. The HAT will have to produce an umpteenth order to get rid of the previous electoral law which it has sharply been criticizing.  

At any rate, the authorities are taking a risk as addressing the organic law in priority. The civilian society, in this case the National Electoral Observation Committee or CNOE, denounced the administration’s upperhand on the vote’s complete organization process, although an independent national electoral Commission is being evoked. Many manipulations are being made possible through reshuffles of electoral processes in accordance with political calculations. As far as the HAT is concerned, the involvement of any other political force, for lack of the other political mobilities, is a pledge for national unity.