Andry Rajoelina, putting his money on an electoral “putsch”

While he once again stirs problems into the political class for trying to alter the electoral order for the sake of favoring his TGV party,  Rajoelina undergoes a true rite of passage concerning his willingness and ability to carry his electoral duty out around which he has been skirting during the latest couple of years.. The Prime Minister’s “moramora” attitude does annoy a head of the transition drawing a late card up from his sleeve at the United Nations’ headquarters in order not to concede a complete defeat to a still very relevant prosperity to his presidential ambitions. His latest trick? Putting pressure on the government, so that it officially calls upon voters to join the polls on May 8th, 2013 to elect … Parliament members.

Andry Rajoelina flew to New York to hold talks with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon. For the president of the transition, this is the ultimate opportunity to convince the United Nations so that the order of elections in his favor. Somehow, the TGV’s leader would not be satisfied with any delay on calling voters on February 7th, 2013 to get ready for an election deemed to be held on May 8th. Andry Rajoelina emphatically insisted on calling voters on February 7th. But he only wants them to get ready to vote for a new parliament, and not for a new president.

Why such a U-turn? Andry Rajoelinas and his certainty to be elected and to easily get an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly got logically disqualified by the international community and forced to withdraw. Suddenly, the TGV and Rajoelina get plagued with doubts over their certainty to recover the necessary number of elected parliamentarian officials. The CENIT and the experts sent by the United Nations played a deaf ear to the transitional leader’s proposal consisting in trying to exchange his electoral withdrawal against the organization of legislative elections before the presidential elections.  The last card up his sleeve: New York city. The local representation of the United Nations actually declared that only a decision from above, from their headquarters could change the electoral order for Madagascar.

Andry Rajoelina visibly gets pissed off. What else could bring him to order his officials unwilling to capitalize his political trick to resign on the spot? The message is first and foremost directed at the National Unity Prime Minister Omer Beriziky , who does not seem to hurry enough according to his standards, with the call on voters supposed to be issued on February 7th, 2013. The project is in a matter of fact a unilateral decision from the head of the transitional government since a cabinet meeting must publish a notice for the presidential election.

Wednesday January 30th, 2013, Cabinet meeting: Andry Rajoelina imposed the Draft Decree concerning the number of National Assembly members and the territorial division of electoral districts; the vote would have to be held on July 3rd, 2013. The TGV is once again resorting to its logical of putsch and dictatorship for yearning to change the electoral order to grant advantage his party.

 Prime Minister Omer Beriziky is opposing the swindle. The ruling power’s leader would be pleased with another accomplished fact imposed to Madagascar and to the International Community, but the Prime Minister does not give in. On Monday, February 5th the draft officially calling voters upon clearing for elections was read out, legislative and not presidential elections. The Malagasy political class happens to be shared even if the CENIT’s program is largely preferred.

Only the TGV and its loyal passengers are offended by the fact of having to do what was unthinkable two years ago, namely having to enforce their will. The party won only one municipal election, then claimed power over the country through the militarily supported putsch in 2009, but did not have to play in defense until its leader got forced out of the presidential race.

Shall Ban Ki-Moon become the next naïve mean to a end and unleash a new Malagasy political crisis by upsetting the electoral order established by the United Nations’ experts? Will he give way to Andry Rajoelina and his unilateral will to enforce parliamentary elections on May 8th, 2013 instead of the basically planed first round of the presidential elections? The electoral calendar and the whole recovery of constitutional order are actually at stake.