Joaquim Chissano: a new agreement close to Maputo for Pretoria II

The transitional roadmap recommended by the international community’s mediator is holding the political situation’s evolution in Madagascar into account. Joaquim Chissano seems to have renounced to enforce the implementation of agreements signed in Maputo and Addis Ababa. Turning the page and following Andry Rajoelina’s unilateral will are however off the point. The agreement draft is reprocessing the main ideas previously developed to settle the crisis in Madagascar by the creation of an inclusive national unity transition. As previously conceded by the three other leaders, Andry Rajoelina would remain on top of the transition and endorse the chief of state’s suit. The former elected mayor of Antananarivo city will be entitled to nominate the Prime minister and the government members. The governmental team is balanced, with 6 ministers for every mobilities and as much as for the other groupings. The sharing has been completed even if some ministries are still being disputed: namely the Decentralization and Regional development ministries claimed by the Rajoelina mobility, the Communication ministry claimed by the Ravalomanana mobility, the national education ministry claimed by the Ratsiraka mobility and the Energy and Mines department claimed by the Zafy mobility. This transitional regime must not last over 12 months, from the date of the agreement’s signature. Part of this agreement draft is the compulsory installation of National Reconciliation Council. This transitional institution is going to work the « truth and reconciliation » process out in order to avoid endemic crisis. A new electoral national commission is also planned with a consensual composition, as a matter of compulsory pledge for believable, democratic, free and transparent elections. As for the electoral calendar, the mediator rejected the Rajoelina roadmap. According to Joaquim Chissano, a referendum will first have to set a new constitution prior to addressing these planed institutions’ governance process, and the establishment of elections’ dates. The end of the transition will be marked by the election of a new Republic’s president and not by the adoption of a new constitution. On this account, no need to get legislative elections prior to the presidential ones. The mediator emphasized the need to build the transition on the bases of a political agreement. The concerned parts must commit to agree on a viable solution accepted by the Malagasy and by the international community. This solution must be a long term one, while being inclusive and consensual. The agreement proposed by mediator Chissano is planning to settle all of Madagascar’s political problems for good. As a confirmed peace militant, the Mozambican former president drafted series of confidence and appeasement measures. He is calling upon the Malagasy political mobilities to put an end to division and tackle the national reconciliation process. The mediator is longing to follow this agreement’s implementation up, and even plans to install a permanent office in Madagascar during this transitional period.