Published: 2010
Total Pages: 0
Get eBook
Following coups in Mauritania and Guinea in 2008, the African Union, the United States, and the European Union, among others, warned against an unconstitutional transfer of power on the island nation and have suspended most foreign aid and threatened sanctions. [...] Ravalomanana, in a pre-recorded message, reportedly urged his supporters in late March to "save the nation," accusing Rajoelina and his allies of "destroying our country with their coup."9 Some reports suggest that elements of the military oppose the transitional authority and demanded Rajoelina's resignation early in his tenure.10 In April 2010, amid rumors of a possible coup, the minister of the [...] On April 30, the AU, SADC, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), and the EU formed the International Contact Group on Madagascar to provide a unified front for international pressure on the parties to resolve the political crisis. [...] His announcement followed the public demands made in April by the armed forces' chief of staff and head of the gendarmerie to resolve the political crisis, as well as the discovery of an alleged coup plot by several military officers Rajoelina has pledged not to run in the presidential poll, but continues to insist that other former heads of state stand down as well. [...] The election led to a tense half year stand-off between the two candidates and their parties after Ravalomanana, citing electoral irregularities, refused to participate in a postponed runoff poll, and in February 2002 declared himself the winner of the election.