SADC: positive outcome for the Ravalomanana political sphere

The Ravalomanana sphere originated parliamentarians’ comeback revives the transitional institutions anew. This reinstatement was formalized as an outcome of a late cabinet meeting. Deputy Prime Minister Botozaza Pierrot and his colleagues agreed to recover their jobs, and work together with the transitional Prime Minister Beriziky again the implementation of the roadmap out.

Such a U-turn is rather no good omen, neither for the TGV nor for the omnipotent president of the HAT, who both previously ignored and downplayed the Ravalomanana sphere’s withdrawal from transitional parliamentary business as well as from the latest cabinet meetings. Rajoelina has realized that all of their unilateral initiatives merely came up to shots in the dark, hasn’t he? Andry Rajoelina preferred to resort to the suspension of the ministers’ signature process, as a matter of fact an illegal and pointless measure.

President Marc Ravalomanana was actually the one to have shown himself to his best advantage for demonstrating his influence inside the transitional institutions in spite of an overwhelming majority of supporters of the year 2009’s putsch. He officially called his political sphere to reconnect with the transitional government as well as with the other transitional institutions, namely the Parliament and the electoral commission, and declared afterwards:”The problem is settled”.

Marc Ravalomanana has indeed drawn up quite a diametrically different assessment from that produced by the head of the HAT. “The troika and both major political spheres agreed on the fact that elections are the single possible solution. According to the SADC, the electoral deadlines established by the CENIT must be respected.” Speeches have so far been the same. Everything gets different when post-transitional issues are being addressed.

“Whoever intends to stand as presidential candidate is welcome,” said Marc Ravalomanana, in reference to the latest SADC Summit. “As for the Roadmap’s Article 20, the Troika will be addressing the issue related to my comeback,” he added. The Ravalomanana sphere makes no secret of Andry Rajoelina’s maneuvers expected to ruin its leader’s pending presidential candidacy in May 2013.

“The roadmap’s Article 20 leaves no room for controversy: all exiled political figures are unconditionally allowed back home,” insisted Marc Ravalomanana. “The explanatory note was added so that the document finally gets signed. For having no legal value, this sentence would in no way contradict or hinder the implementation of the Roadmap’s Article 20. “

The HAT and the army commanders supportive of the Rajoelina sphere do live in dread of the implementation of this famous Article 20. They even threat with bloody retaliation, could the Article 45 ever be implemented. General Ranto Rabarisoa already shows the colors under which his contingent would sail by arguing an alleged national danger represented by President Ravalomanana. Stands are clear; the armed forces are the HAT’s last battlements supposed to enforce its political decisions and keep the ousted president away.

General Rabarisoa, head of institution in this civil-military ruling alliance established by Andry Rajoelina, was once outraged by having to let Didier Ratsiraka recover home soil, and emphatically mentions all of the risks of such a possibility for Marc Ravalomanana. These risks are actually being run by politicians and army officers linked to and benefitting from the year 2009’s putsch, and by not a single other Malagasy citizen.