Constitutional referendum in Madagascar 2010

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The constitutional referendum in Madagascar 2010 was held on November 17, 2010 in the island republic of Madagascar . The population should answer “yes” or “no” to the question: “Do you accept the text of a new constitution for the establishment of a fourth republic?”.

According to official information, around 70% of those entitled to vote voted for the new constitution. The referendum is seen as a plebiscite over confidence in Andry Rajoelina , the self-proclaimed President of Madagascar. The main opposition parties in the country described the referendum as "illegal", and a call by Rajoelina to the international community to send election observers went unnoticed. Catherine Ashton made a statement on behalf of the European Union that the EU would not send election observers due to the uncertainty about the effects of the referendum (i.e. about the country's further path). It is therefore unclear to what extent the official result represents the will of the population.

Time of the referendum

The referendum was originally scheduled for September 2009, which was to be followed by presidential elections in October 2010. However, it was only postponed to October 2009, then set for August 12, 2010 and postponed again for an indefinite period on June 29, 2010. Finally, on August 14, 2010, November 17 was announced as the new date.

Effects of the new constitution

The new constitution is seen as a step on Andry Rajoelina's way to consolidate his power. Rajoelina is the head of the “Haute Autorité de Transition” (HAT), a transitional junta that came to power after a military- backed coup in 2009 against then President Marc Ravalomanana . One change by the new constitution is that the head of the "HAT" (ie Rajoelina) should remain in office as interim president until general elections. Analysts interpreted this provision to mean that it would allow Rajoelina to remain in power indefinitely, as he would not be given a date to resign, nor would the details of an upcoming election be clarified.

The next presidential election is scheduled for May 4, 2011. Rajoelina has stated that he has no intention of running for president. However, an addition to the new constitution lowers the age required to run for president to 35 years, which would allow 36-year-old Rajoelina to apply.

The constitution to be voted on also contains a clause requiring presidential candidates to have lived in Madagascar for at least 6 months immediately prior to the election, effectively excluding ex-President Ravalomanana and other opposition leaders living in exile from participation.

Controversy

The three most important political parties of Madagascar, Tiako i Madagasikara , AREMA and AVI , each headed by a former president of Madagascar, called for a boycott of the vote. They justified this with their protest against Rajoelina's refusal to share power and form a government of national unity, as he himself had promised in August 2010. Changes to the electoral rules during the ongoing process were also criticized.

The day before the referendum, there were minor unrest in the capital, Antananarivo .

referendum

A total of 7,051,809 voters were registered. During the voting process, the government decided to soften the rules for young people who had reached voting age but were not on the electoral roll. The day was declared a public holiday to encourage voters to vote.

The independent, national electoral commission "CENI" ( Commision Électorale Nationale Indépendante ) reported a low turnout. Officials attributed this to multiple errors in the electoral roll, which resulted in half of the originally registered voters being excluded. Because of these complaints, the opening of the polling stations was extended from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., which resulted in a significant increase in the number of voters in the afternoon.

2010 referendum be right percent
Yes 2,657,962 70.65%
No 924 592 24.58%
Valid votes 3,582,554 95.23%
Invalid votes 179 423 4.77%
total 3 761 977 100%
voter turnout 52.61%
Source: africareview.com

The new constitution came into effect on December 11, 2010, which began the Fourth Republic of Madagascar.

coup attempt

On voting day, 21 officers, led by Colonel Charles Andrianasoavina, who had also supported the coup that brought Rajoelina to power, declared that they had taken control of the country. The military declared the government dissolved. Andrianasoavina later stated that he had planned to occupy both the presidential palace and the country's main airport. The coup plotters declared that all government organizations had been suspended and a military council ruled, demanded the release of all political prisoners and the return of all political leaders in exile, including Ravalomanana.

Rajoelina's whereabouts in this phase were unknown, but the referendum appeared to be continuing.

Three days after the coup attempt, security forces attacked the insurgent military base and the rebels surrendered after a brief firefight.

See also

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ eisa.com ( Memento of the original from October 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.eisa.org.za
  2. ↑ a b c d Gregoire Pourtier: Madagascar referendum could deepen political crisis . In: The Guardian , November 21, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2010. 
  3. ↑ Gregoire Pourtier: Madagascan army crushes three-day mutiny. In: Sydney Morning Herald. November 21, 2010.
  4. ↑ http://www.afrol.com/articles/36917 afrol.com/, taken on January 5, 2011
  5. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. PDF, eutrio.be, accessed on January 5, 2011 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.eutrio.be
  6. ↑ Madagascan President calls international community for recognition . April 4, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  7. ↑ UPDATE 1-Madagascar postpones referendum on constitution . Af.reuters.com. June 29, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  8. ↑ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90855/7104765.html english.people.com.
  9. ↑ a b c english.peopledaily.com "YES" leading in Madagascar's referendum on new constitution. on: peopledaily , November 18, 2010.
  10. ↑ a b c d e The coup that wasn't . In: The Economist . November 18, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  11. ↑ a b c Madagascar forces storm rebel base. on: aljazeera.net , November 20, 2010.
  12. ↑ a b Madagascar votes in key referendum - Africa . Al Jazeera English. November 17, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  13. ↑ http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//RTV/2010/11/18/RTV2945110/ itnsource.com, taken on January 5, 2011
  14. ↑ http://www.africareview.com/News/Court%20affirms%20Madagascar%20referendum%20triumph/-/979180/1067488/-/oc90e9/-/index.html www.africareview.com, accessed January 5, 2011
  15. ↑ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90855/7228165.html
  16. ↑ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90855/7228400.html
  17. ↑ a b Madagascar officers in 'coup bid' - Africa . Al Jazeera English. November 17, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2010.