Joint presidency: title preserved but power shared by Rajoelina

Andry Rajoelina remains the Transition’s president. Once again the scoop is a cause for controversy and waves of interpretations. The president of the HAT partly keeps his gain, power acquired through mobs and a fringe of the army, but has to cope with two co-chairmen. Fetison Rakoto Andrianirina from the Ravalomanana mobility and Emmanuel Rakotovahiny from the Zafy mobility are, as from now on, integrating the joint presidency. The three co-chairmen will have to meet at least once a week in order to run the joint administration. 

A president featured by two co presidents, does not this mean that the transition has three presidents? The word co president’s blunt meaning brings light into the issue: it is about somebody exerting presidential authority together with one or several other persons. The triumvirate, risen by Didier Ratsiraka, and then by Ravalomanana, has finally been adopted at the expenses of an uncompromising Andry Rajoelina. This latter would be allowed to save the appearances by being left on top of the presidential council made of a president and two co-chairmen. In action, three signatures will be necessary for any decision taken by the executive power. 

The Andry Rajoelina mobility welcomed this outcome due to the superficial good news. Few hours later, joy made place to exhaustion in the TGV ranks. Power sharing plunged the pro-Rajoelina militants in despair. The disappointment is motivated by the feeling of defeat, but giving in during the Addis Ababa showdown is scarcely blamed on the young leader. On the other hand, grievances against Albert Zafy are sharp. The former president failed to hold his promise to push Andry Rajoelina. The latter has also been scolded by the professor who called him “kid”. 

The Ravalomanana mobility can celebrate victory even though it is not a total one. The TSAR project or Transition without Andry Rajoelina failed short from completion. At least “the author of the Coup” will not rule the country all alone until the end of the Transition. Fetison Andrianirina refrained from victorious cheers though. “All three are going to direct the country together… we will find the way to work together… we are calling upon the Malagasy people’s blessing”, he said. Ny Hasina Andriamanjato from the Rajoelina mobility strived to damp the controversy surrounding this unprecedented co presidency. According to him, the most important thing is not the interpretation but the implementation of the charter’s additional text. 

Andry Rajoelina has to wave good bye to his ambitions of undisputedly ruling the country as if he had been granted legitimacy by poles. The country’s development projects and the “popular” promises are to be postponed for another occasion. The Transition will concentrate on the management of running business and more especially on the preparation of elections. The young transitional co president will still have to battle hard in  the referendum to pass a Fourth Republic’s Constitution shaped to order. The lowering of the presidential candidate’s required age will be in the center of this new fundamental text. No more need to be an old “raiamandreny” as Albert Zafy when one can take the liberty to behave like a “10 years old kid”!