U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

MADAGASCAR: Donors cautious as Ravalomanana assumes presidency for the
second time

JOHANNESBURG, 6 May (IRIN) - The international community on Monday was
cautious in their show of support for Madagascar's new president, Marc
Ravalomanana.

Although several western diplomats were present at the inauguration
ceremony, most sent consular officials rather than ambassadors, news reports
said.

The guarded approach was seen by analysts as the "most appropriate response"
to the unresolved political row between Ravalomanana and veteran leader,
Didier Ratsiraka. The former president called the investiture a "second coup
d'etat".

Lucille Rabearabeorimanana, a political analyst at the University of
Madagascar told IRIN: "The international community seems to be warming up to
Ravalomanana but by sending their second-in-command, they don't want to give
too much credence to either side. They don't want to undermine the decision
by the country's highest court and yet they cannot afford to isolate
Ratsiraka's supporters."

According to Roy Whitaker, a member of the US embassy delegation: "Our
attendance was a sign of respect for the decision of the High Constitutional
Court and the rule of law in the country. We remain committed to the Dakar
accord and all that was agreed to by both men. We maintain that both men
must continue to engage in dialogue in the interest of national
reconciliation."

A French official in Antananarivo said that France would support
Ravalomanana "on condition that concrete steps are taken to ensure that a
new government reflects all the Malagasy people".

The Organisation of African Unity (OAU), however, has yet to come out in
support of Madagascar's new president. Last week the pan-African body called
for a referendum to chose between the two political rivals saying that it
was the only solution to avoid the partition of the island.

Madagascar has been divided into two opposing camps since the 16 December
election, which Ravalomanana won. But he failed to gain more than 50 percent
of the vote needed for outright victory. The court then ordered a second
round run-off. But Ravalomanana said the initial result was rigged and in
February declared himself president.

The country's high court declared Ravalomanana president on 29 April, after
a recount under the terms of a political agreement reached in Dakar,
Senegal.

Ratsiraka refused to accept the result of the recount which gave
Ravalomanana 51 percent of the vote. The governors of four provinces loyal
to the former ruler unilaterally declared independence, sparking fears of a
renewed political standoff.

Meanwhile, a new round of talks between the rivals will be held in Senegal
in a bid to resolve the five-month long leadership crisis.

The Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade, said the talks would be held on
13-14 May, the French news agency AFP reported

[ENDS]

IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 880-4633
Fax: +27 11 447-5472
Email: [email protected]

[This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: [email protected] or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2002