A state led coup against the mayor of Ankaraobato. One more elected figure kicked out

The interior ministry signed on January 26th, 2011 the official suspension of Ankaraobato´s mayor meant to be replaced by his deputy. Amazing, it is actually a suspension and no dismissal yet. The HAT seems to be keen on avoiding further blunders and consequently takes its time before appointing a new TGV supportive SPD. Guy Maxime Ralaiseheno got it right: “it is only a cover up for a putsch and an imposition of a SPD”.

The interior ministry put the law 94-008 forth as an incentive. “This law is only concerning mayors guilty of embezzlement. Besides, the concerned mayor has to produced scripted explanations, I haven´t. My commune´s management has always been clean, embezzlement has always been being off the point” argued Ankaraobato´s elected mayor.

The interior ministry´s decision was spurred by a decentralization ministry´s official´s public demand for the suspension of Ankaraobato´s mayor due to his jail sentence. However, since the condemnation is in no way related to a criminal act, his criminal record is still empty and the concerned mayor can still run further elections.

Will the court resort to an exceptional measure in order to stain the defendant´s criminal record with a minor political condemnation? This is actually the single possible and more or less legal way to keep Guy Maxime Ralaiseheno away from the political scene, if ever: Ankaraobato´s mayor has launched an appeal against the condemnation; his criminal record is actually not likely to be altered yet, even though the jail sentence has been completed.

Ankaraobato´s mayor was arrested by the police forces in Analakely on November 20th, 2010 , while preparing a demonstration against the HAT´s ridiculously illegal decision to enforce early communal elections countrywide in order to reward the TGV. He was judged but the overtly politically motivated sentence was not that tough: two months in jail for having organized an illegal street demonstration and resistance to police forces.

Guy Maxime Ralaiseheno is turning out to be the black sheep of the family, and mistrust is in the present situation very much justified. Wasn´t the country´s current leader an elected mayor? The HAT is certainly not willing to leave to this hero and now former political prisoner the opportunity to gain influence on the political scene. With one nil on the scoreboard, the president of the union of Madagascar´s mayors has won the first leg against the HAT: the communal election has been postponed. Guy Maxime Ralaiseheno did it, and not a miraculous illumination moment of the HAT prime minister Vital. The little mayor has successfully hindered the almighty authority from capitalizing its will.