CENI: independence and full power are not a done deal

The setting up of the independent electoral national Commission was the major theme debated all along the national task meeting. The CENI will be made of eleven permanent members. Seven of them will stem from the civilian society, and four, from the administration, representing namely the Home Affairs ministry, the Finance ministry, the Justice ministry, and the ministry in charge of Communication. According to General Herilanto Raveloharison, this institution would pledge the credibility of a free, fair and transparent wanted election. “CENI members will have to be carefully chosen in order to provide no cause for challenges”, he warned.  

Norbert Lala Ratsirahonana, the Rajoelina administration’s legal and political mastermind, underlined that the government would not be in control of the CENI. He argued that decisions would be those of the majority made of independent individuals stemming from  the civilian society. “Ministerial representatives will be smoothing collaboration between the CENI and the administration in the setting of the electoral process “.  

Norbert Ratsirahonana is standing halfway from those expressed by politicians and by the Homme Affairs minister. The former deputy chief of state and former president of the High Constitutional Court recommended a supportive secondary role for the administration, Manorohanta Cécile wanted restricted prerogatives for the CENI, at least for the first elections, and recommended total independence for a CENI fully assuming the electoral process. Election candidates would, besides, be represented in the electoral commission by non permanent members.  

During the task meeting held in Ivato, some suggestions agreed on the common purpose of putting a structure in place to organize and monitor the elections. In the polls, secretaries and assessors should be CENI employees. Polls’ presidents and vice-presidents would still have to be elect at the Fokontany level. The CENI will be in charge of escorting ballots, and, could the unique ballot be adopted as it has been proposed during the meeting, the task might prove less burdening. The CENI will be granted a mandate as long as one Republic’s presidency. A renewal of the electoral commission’s permanent members would, therefore, take place before each presidential election.  

According to Norbert Ratsirahonana, the committee of experts is burning the candle at both ends to make law projects out of the task meeting’s resolutions. “Texts will be presented to the Cabinet meeting and adopted swiftly since time to elections is running”, he argued. The setting up of the CENI will, thereupon, be capitalized by way of order. it is not exactly a pledge of independence since the project has been exclusively cooked by Rajoelina mobility. The committee of experts in charge of writing down the elections related law projects is made of “technicians” stemming from the presidency, and from the ministries in charge of Decentralization and Home Affairs.