Madagascar’s president, Andry Rajoelina, who first got here to energy following a coup, on Wednesday 6 September 2023 introduced he’ll run for re-election in November.
Rajoelina made the announcement at a grand ceremony held within the greatest stadium on the massive Indian Ocean island, which is because of maintain the presidential vote on November 9.
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Rajoelina was voted again into energy in 2018
He first took energy in 2009 on the again of a coup that ousted former president Marc Ravalomanana. After not contesting within the 2013 election as a result of worldwide strain, Rajoelina was voted again into energy in 2018.
“Are you prepared? I’m determined,” the 49-year-old chief declared within the nation’s capital, Antananarivo. Sporting a white swimsuit, he mentioned he was able to symbolize individuals “all through Madagascar and to be the president of all Malagasy individuals,”.
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“The Structure permits me to run for a second time period,” he mentioned on a stage embellished with flags bearing his picture and with big screens which hosted evangelical music teams and standard Malagasy singers earlier than his speech.
Addressing 1000’s of supporters, clad within the get together colors of orange and white, on the Barea stadium, the place a dozen individuals died in a stampede on the finish of August, Rajoelina highlighted the infrastructure constructed over the past 5 years.
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Madagascar’s president proclaimed himself builder president
Proclaiming himself to be a “builder president,” he listed faculties, courts and even prisons that had been constructed throughout his presidency. “Many issues have been completed to forestall me from transferring ahead, however this encourages me to do extra,” Rajoelina mentioned, promising victory.
The pinnacle of state has, in current months, been going through questions over his twin French nationality. The data was disclosed by media stories on the finish of June. Naturalised in France in 2014, underneath native regulation, the president would lose his Madagascan nationality.
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With out his Malagasy nationality, he can neither lead the nation nor run for workplace. However this model of the details is vigorously disputed by the ruling get together.
Nicknamed “TGV”, in reference to the identify of his get together, Tanora malaGasy Vonona (Younger Malagasies Decided), the businessman and fervent Catholic, arrived on the political scene in 2007.
When did he seize energy?
That 12 months, he trounced the get together of then-president Ravalomanana to turn into the capital metropolis Antananarivo’s mayor. He seized energy from Ravalomanana in 2009 with the implicit help of the military. The worldwide group condemned the coup d’état.
Ravalomanana, a 73-year-old millionaire who made his fortune within the agri-food trade, has nonetheless not come to phrases together with his ouster and in July introduced his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election.
Madagascar is usually hit by devastating storms. It is among the poorest international locations on the globe regardless of its huge pure sources. Some 80 per cent of the inhabitants of 28 million lives on lower than 1.92 {dollars} per day.
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© Agence France-Presse
