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The presidential guard fired on demonstrators launching a raid on the presidential palace in order to empower an insurgent government chief. As he is condemned to a lifetime forced labor for complicity in Ambohitsorohitra’s shoot out, the ousted president denounced a sham of trial, and called upon the international community to intervene in the Malagasy crisis and pressure the dictatorial power. Marc Ravalomanana qualified the trial as “ridiculous” and the condemnation as “baseless”.
Accusing and condemning Mr Ravalomanana like a simple theft was a political shot in the dark, indeed on the international scene. Associating his name to a crime was one of the HAT’s emergencies in it run against the clock targeting nothing but the legalization of its power. The ousted president represents the main hurdle in the international and home based attempts to settle the crisis. And the Rajoelina sphere’s latest political deal is not the exception.
President Ravalomanana’s condemnation is supposed to ease the crisis’ settlement. Many observers wouldn’t buy the idea. Somehow, the HAT would have patched condemnation up for its own self, since now this judicial decision would draw it to act as unilaterally as never before, as such decisions have long been rejected by a international community longing for an inclusive transition. Marc Ravalomanana is accusing the current leadership of continually straining to hinder him from contesting presidential elections, since crimes are not entitled to amnesties, and to influence on going home based talks meant to settle the crisis.
Politicians gathered around Ivato’s political deal are trying to enforce the expulsion of the opposition’s three spheres. Corrupting these spheres’ parties and figures remains the top strategy, mainly in order to potentially confirm that the opposition is empty. A political deal signed by 80% of the country’s political parties and the condemnation of Marc Ravalomanana are supposed to be convincing enough to the international l community. Emmanuel Rakotovahiny denounced, however, the erection of several new parties completed in order to sign up to this deal.
The HAT and its sphere definitely called upon all parties to get into their train in order to grant the larger possible shadow of legitimacy to their deal. As for whether it would eventually be enough to drop the opposition’s three parties which won at least one presidential race each… As eliminating the three parties, the HAT and its legion of micro parties would reach consensus within their own sphere. A good start according to the international community, but nothing else but a good start. Marc Ravalomanana’s condemnation is being expected to serve as the next decisive step: quite unlikely political calculation
The quick court decision in the case February 07th is in itself not bad at all. The problem is the systematic violation of judicial processes. Those who were longing for it got the condemnation of Marc Ravalomanana, not a complete surprise though, as the HAT has long been straining to rule him out of from the political arena.
The court had to condemn Marc Ravalomanana prior to the incoming electoral deadlines. Job done. It has long been required to do so, but neither the facts nor the court itself were believable enough to proceed. This latest express condemnation is now a cause for doubts about the ordinary criminal court’s independence, expertise of which is vehemently challenged by the defense.