Madagascar's opposition groups back power-sharing deal

Monday, 08 February 2010

The three political groupings opposed to Madagascar's strongman Andry Rajoelina all said Friday they favour going ahead with the African Union's proposals to implement an August power-sharing deal.

The deadline for their response set by the AU was Friday. Rajoelina's group has not formally replied, but his declarations during a recent visit to France indicate he is still snubbing the offer.

Rajoelina, who seized power in March 2009 with military backing, on January 21 rejected AU proposals to implement a power-sharing deal with his rivals.

The party of Marc Ravalomanana, the former president ousted by Rajoelina, said in a declaration in local papers that it backed the AU's proposals.

The parties of two other former presidents Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy likewise threw their weight behind the AU proposals. Rajoelina, who fired a consensus prime minister and named a new one to replace him, and who has unilaterally announced a date for legislative elections, last month described the power-sharing accord as impossible.

During a stay in France this week Rajoelina, a former disc jockey and mayor of the capital Anananarivo, told French lawmakers he wanted "to hold elections as quickly as possible" and said he wanted to maintain the current government for the time being, according to a copy of his speech.

He proposed setting up a body that would act as a counter-balance to the executive in the pre-electoral period. Disagreements between the island nation's four main political groups have scuttled repeated efforts to end the impasse there, with de facto leader Rajoelina trampling on previous deals to form a unity government.

Discord over sharing government posts and drawing up an election timetable by the four political parties have also hobbled efforts to end the crisis.

Sapa-AFP