DIDIER RATSIRAKA

Admiral 'Didier Ratsiraka' (born 4 November 1936) was the President of Madagascar from 1975 until 1993 and from 1997 until 2002. Ratsiraka served as foreign minister under Gabriel Ramanantsoa from 1972 until 1975. Ratsiraka, known as the "Red Admiral", came to power in a military coup and in 1976 he began to set up a socialist government, founding the political party Vangard of the Malagasy Revolution (FNDR). In 1989 he changed his party's name to the AREMA (Andry sy Riana Enti-Manavotra an'i Madagasikara) (Pillar and Structure for the Salvation of Madagascar). Facing increasing opposition in 1991, Ratsiraka signed the Panorama Convention on 31 October of that year, establishing a transitional government and stripping him of most of his powers;Richard R. Marcus, "Political Change in Madagascar", Institute for Security Studies, August 2004. although he remained President, opposition leader Albert Zafy became head of the newly established High Authority of the State.^[1]
Ratsiraka ran in the multiparty presidential election of November 1992, placing second behind Zafy in the first round. In the second round, held in February 1993, Ratsiraka lost to Zafy, taking about one-third of the vote,Elections in Madagascar, African Elections Database. and left office on March 27. Zafy was impeached in 1996,Gemma Pitcher and Patricia C. Wright, ''Madagascar and Comoros'' (2004), Lonely Planet, page 27. and Ratsiraka, who had been in exile in France,Philip M. Allen, "Impeachment as Parliamentary Coup d'Etat", in ''Checking Executive Power: Presidential Impeachment in Comparative Perspective'' (2003), ed. Jody C. Baumgartner, Naoko Kada, pages 91–92. achieved a political comeback in late 1996 when he won that year's presidential election, running as the candidate of the AREMA party. He came in first place in the first round with 36.6% of the vote, ahead of his three main opponents: Zafy, Herizo Razafimahaleo, and Prime Minister/Acting President Norbert Ratsirahonana. He narrowly defeated Zafy in the runoff with 50.7% of the vote and took office again on February 9, 1997.^[2]
Members of the opposition, including Zafy, unsuccessfully attempted to impeach Ratsiraka in February 1998, accusing him of violating the constitution through decentralizing reforms that would increase his own power at the expense of that of the National Assembly. The impeachment motion also accused him of perjury, nepotism, and failing to act as supreme arbiter of disputes, and it cited his ill-health. In the National Assembly vote on February 4, 60 deputies voted for the impeachment motion, well short of the required 92.^[3]
On March 15, 1998, a constitutional referendum was held and approved by a narrow majority of voters; this resulted in a major increase in the president's powers, enabling him to dissolve the National Assembly and appoint the prime minister and government without the National Assembly's agreement. By 2001, however, Ratsiraka had become widely unpopular again. He announced on June 26 2001 that he would be a candidate for the presidential election to be held in December of that year."Madagascar: Stumbling at the first hurdle?", Institute for Security Studies, ISS Paper 68, April 2003. In the election, he took second place; according to the government, Marc Ravalomanana won first place with 46% while Ratsiraka took 40%. Because, according to the official results, no candidate won a majority, a runoff was to take place, but due to disputes over the election it was never held. Ravalomanana claimed to have actually won over 50% of the vote, and therefore to have won in the first round. Ravalomanana was sworn in as president by his supporters on February 22, 2002, and the two governments fought for control of the country. By the end of February 2002, Ravalomanana had control over the capital, which had always been his base, but Ratsiraka largely maintained control over the provinces and established himself at Toamasina, his primary support base. However, within a few months Ravalomanana had gained the upper hand in a struggle. In mid-June Ratsiraka went to France, leading many to believe he had fled into exile and lowering the morale of his supporters, although Ratsiraka said he would return.^[4] He did return to Madagascar after more than a week,^[5] but his position was continuing to weaken militarily. On July 5, Ratsiraka fled Toamasina, taking a flight to the nearby Seychelles.^[6] Two days later he arrived in France.^[7]
On August 6 2003, Ratsiraka, who was accused of stealing about eight million dollars in public funds from the annex of the central bank in Toamasina in June 2002, shortly before going into exile, was sentenced to ten years of hard labor in Madagascar, where he was tried ''in absentia''.^[8][9]"Madagascar: 10 Years' Hard Labor For Ex-President", ''The New York Times'', August 7, 2003. The lawyer appointed for Ratsiraka by the court accepted the verdict and sentence as "fair" and said he would not appeal.
Didier Ratsiraka's nephew, Roland Ratsiraka, is also a politician. He became the mayor of Toamasina and ran unsuccessfully in the 2006 presidential election, coming in third place.

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References

1. "Madagascar's Leader Agrees To Work for New Elections", ''The New York Times'', November 3, 1991.
2. "Ratsiraka sworn in as Madagascar's new president", Television Malagasy (Antanarivo), February 9, 1997.
3. "Feb 1998 - Refusal of National Assembly to impeach President", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 44, February, 1998 Madagascar, Page 42051.
4. "Embattled Ratsiraka arrives in France", BBC News, June 14, 2002.
5. "Madagascar rival leader returns", BBC News, June 23, 2002.
6. "Madagascar's former leader quits", BBC News, July 5, 2002.
7. "Ratsiraka moots Madagascar return", BBC News, July 8, 2002.
8. "L'ex-président Ratsiraka condamné par contumace", UPF (presse-francophone.org), August 7, 2003 .
9. "MADAGASCAR: France says no extradition request received for Ratsiraka", IRIN, August 7, 2003.