The AU, EU and America insist that three controversial presidential candidates must withdraw.
The European Union, United States and the African Union on Wednesday June 26, 2013 proposed robust sanctions against Madagascar's President and two other presidential candidates if they failed to withdraw from the August 23 election, Reuters news agency reported.
Rising from a meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, the contact group on Madagascar encouraged the international community to apply targeted sanctions against all those undermining the electoral process. Ramtane Lamamra, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, said such measures would be imposed if the impasse was not resolved next month. The sanctions could include travel bans and the freezing of assets of the candidates, their relatives and close business partners. Paris has already banned them from entering France.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and AU have demanded that Interim President Andry Rajoelina, former First Lady, Lalao Ravalomanana and ex-President Didier Ratsiraka, withdraw from the polls. SADC Mediator, Joaquim Chissano, is to travel to Madagascar on July 9, 2013 for talks to try to resolve the issue. Meanwhile, Madagascar’s National Day celebration on Wednesday, attended by Rajoelina, was boycotted by foreign diplomats, Radio France Internationale reported.
The Economist magazine recalls that after four years in political limbo since the 2009 coup, July 24, 2013 was finally set for Madagascar’s presidential election. SADC brokered a deal whereby neither Marc Ravalomanana, who was ousted in the 2009 coup and the coup-maker, Andry Rajoelina, could run. But when Lalao Ravalomanana and ex-Head of State, Didier Ratsiraka decided to run, Rajoelina also joined the race. The July 24 poll was later postponed to August 23, but now seems increasingly unlikely as the international community has since withdrawn its financial and material support.
