{"id":126,"date":"2009-03-17T11:35:55","date_gmt":"2009-03-17T11:35:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amagep.co.za\/en\/2009\/03\/17\/pressure-grows-on-madagascar-head\/"},"modified":"2009-03-17T11:35:55","modified_gmt":"2009-03-17T11:35:55","slug":"pressure-grows-on-madagascar-head","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amagep.co.za\/en\/pressure-grows-on-madagascar-head\/","title":{"rendered":"Pressure grows on Madagascar head"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Madagascar’s opposition leader has said he has a mandate to lead a transitional government, hours after troops stormed one of the president’s palaces.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Speaking to the BBC, Andry Rajoelina denied that the dramatic seizure of the palace amounted to a coup. <\/p>\n

But he said that the President Marc Ravalomanana no longer had the right or the power to run the country. <\/p>\n

President Ravalomanana, holed up in another palace, was quoted as saying he was prepared to die with his guards. <\/p>\n

The president had also discussed military support with the UN and southern African states, his spokesman told Reuters news agency. <\/p>\n

The African Union condemned the “attempted coup d’etat” and called on Madagascar to respect its constitution. <\/p>\n

A fierce power struggle on the Indian Ocean island has triggered a military mutiny, looting and violent protests that have left at least 100 people dead since January.<\/p>\n

On Monday, up to 100 soldiers seized a palace in the centre of the capital, Antananarivo. <\/p>\n

Explosions and gunfire erupted as tanks smashed the palace gates. The central bank was also reportedly taken. <\/p>\n

The BBC’s Jonah Fisher in Antananarivo says people in the capital are trying to conduct their business as usual – but many are clearly in shock after Monday’s events. <\/p>\n

Earlier, Mr Rajoelina had called for the arrest of the president and won public backing from the self-declared head of the armed forces. <\/p>\n

‘Power vacuum’<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Our correspondent says Mr Rajoelina has wrapped himself in the cloak of democracy, but he wants to replace an elected head of state without going to a ballot. <\/p>\n

The opposition leader, a 34-year-old former disc jockey, says the president is a tyrant who misspends public money. <\/p>\n

Mr Ravalomanana’s supporters say his rival is a young troublemaker who has not offered any policy alternatives. <\/p>\n

Speaking to the BBC’s Newshour programme, Mr Rajoelina acknowledged that the president had been elected. <\/p>\n

“But we elected him to respect the law and the constitution,” he said. “He cannot do whatever he likes with the country. <\/p>\n

“So for us this president no longer has the right, nor the power any longer to run the country.” <\/p>\n

Mr Rajoelina said he wanted a transitional government that would organise elections in the next 18 to 24 months “at the very latest”. <\/p>\n

“I have the mandate of more than 60 political parties in Madagascar to lead this transition, so it isn’t a coup at all,” he said. <\/p>\n

Col Andre Ndriarijaona, who last week said he had replaced the military chief of staff, told AFP news agency that soldiers had seized the presidency “to hasten Ravalomanana’s departure”. <\/p>\n

‘Against bloodletting’<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Mr Ravalomanana was hunkered down about 15km (nine miles) from the city centre at the Iavoloha palace, where hundreds of his supporters were camped out. <\/p>\n

“The president plans to stay in Madagascar,” Andry Ralijaona, a spokesman for Mr Ravalomanana, told Reuters.<\/p>\n

“He said this to the presidential guard, who told him he should be placed elsewhere, and he replied ‘I will die with you if I have to,'” he said. <\/p>\n

But Col Ndriarijaona said: “We are against any bloodletting, so we won’t go there until we obtain guarantees on the presidential guard’s intentions.” <\/p>\n

The army has traditionally remained neutral during periods of political volatility since independence from France in 1960. <\/p>\n

Col Ndriarijaona claimed it was now almost wholly behind the opposition. <\/p>\n

Earlier on Monday, the opposition rejected a proposal from the president to hold a referendum on whether he should complete his term. <\/p>\n

Mr Ravalomanana, who was re-elected for a second term in office in 2006, has previously said he wants to remain in office until his mandate expires in 2011. <\/p>\n

Under President Ravalomanana, Madagascar’s economy has opened up to foreign investment, particularly in the mining sector. <\/p>\n

But 70% of the 20 million population still lives on less than $2 (\u00a31.40) a day and correspondents say the opposition has tapped into popular frustration at the failure of this new wealth to trickle down. <\/p>\n

Source<\/p>\n

BBC.CO.UK<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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