Chissano is back to re-launch Maputo 2

The Mozambican former president is hardly short of work. Some times after his arrival in Antananarivo, on August 21st, Joaquim Chissano had to start the different consultations. Some of his collaborators already preceded him in the Malagasy capital city. 

As to insure the mediation for the sake of a peaceful outcome of the Malagasy crisis, the International Contact Group’s team’s main goals are to re-launch the process toward a new Transition and to prepare the second Maputo meeting. 

Finally programmed on August 25th and 26th, the next Maputo summit on the crisis in Madagascar will essentially be centered on the designation of the Transition’s main leaders.  

In spite of the internal dissensions, in a camp as in the other, the big four political mobilities (Marc Ravalomanana, Andry Rajoelina, Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy) have only two days make a decision. 

In the end, a few 457 seats are available within the different institutions of the Transition. Long before the final decisions, the negotiations are well on their way. Inner quarrels and point differences are also appearing within all political mobilities. 

The Rajoelina camp is divided on the very principles of the Maputo Agreements. The unique common ground within the mobility is the will to require the majority of high responsibility seats at the time of Maputo 2. 

For the Marc Ravalomanana mobility, problems are stemming from the Manandafy Rakotonirina case and those of the other political prisoners still in custody. The MFM party is actually making its involvement in Maputo depend on the unconditional release of this latest Prime minister appointed by Ravalomanana.   

Concerning the side of the other former president, Didier Ratsiraka, the rivalry between the former chief of state’s supporters and those of Pierrot Rajaonarivelo is persisting. The situation is all but likely to ease the cake sharing.  

The mediators will have to silence all these personal ambitions to manage any step forward, and indeed to insure the Maputo Agreements’ survival.