The legislators vs. the executive branch – the election feud

No later than Tuesday, at the opening of the special session of the National Assembly, the delegates and the new Executive branch, led by President Ravalomanana, have entered into a newer, and more strained relationship, while just a few weeks earlier, “collaboration” was the operative word.
The reason is simple.
The government, through a bill affecting the upcoming pre-scheduled general elections, would like to make a very significant change in the House of Representatives, something the Representatives themselves oppose.
If this bill introduced by the administration successfully passes, many Representatives will have some difficulty regaining their seat in the Lower House.

The bill proposed by the administration will, in fact, significantly reduce the number of Representatives.
Essentially, this number will go from its current level of 150 down to around 60 or 1 representative per 250,000 inhabitants.
The move is aimed at reducing the cost of maintaining this budget-guzzling institution.
It is hard to imagine the Malagasy Representatives ratifying this bill, without some discussion.

Moreover, while the dissolution of the lower house is definitely on the agenda, a few Representatives continue, on the side, to lobby for their very existence.
And, as if to show that they have some serious misgivings about this bill, the Representatives, as well as the Senators have opted not to address it during the current extraordinary session.

Translated by J. F. Razanamiadana