MARC RAVALOMANANA


'Marc Ravalomanana' (born December 12, 1949 in ImerinkasininaRichard R. Marcus, "Political Change in Madagascar", Institute for Security Studies, ISS Paper 89, August 2004."M. Marc RAVALOMANANA, Président de la République de Madagascar.", French presidency website .) is a Malagasy politician. He comes from the Merina ethnicity. He is currently the President of Madagascar; he took office in 2002, during a dispute over the results of the December 2001 presidential election in which he successfully pressed his claim to have won a majority in the first round. He was re-elected in December 2006, again with a majority in the first round.

Contents
The rise of TIKO
Entry into politics
Presidency
Personal life
Honours
References

The rise of TIKO


Before entering politics, Ravalomanana was a wealthy, self-made businessman who founded the island's largest dairy company, Tiko. He started his business career selling yogurt from his bicycle before he received a loan from the World Bank that enabled him to buy a factory.Profile of Marc Ravalomanana, BBC News, March 11, 2002.

Entry into politics


In the municipal elections held on November 14 1999, Ravalomanana was elected mayor of the capital, Antananarivo, receiving 45% of the vote. As mayor he was credited with successfully cleaning up the capital. He announced on August 5, 2001 that he would run for president in the election to be held later that year on December 16;[1]Richard Cornwell, "Madagascar: Stumbling at the first hurdle?", ISS Paper 68, April 2003. two months later, polls showed him to be ahead of the incumbent president, Didier Ratsiraka. Following the election, official results put Ravalomanana in first place, with 46%, against Ratsiraka's 40%; without a majority, a run-off would be required between the two. Ravalomanana, however, claimed to have won a majority in the first round, and he refused to participate in a run-off, instead demanding that the High Constitutional Court review the votes. Ratsiraka's supporters then blockaded the capital, which Ravalomanana's supporters controlled. Ravalomanana declared himself president on February 22, 2002. After a recount, on April 29, 2002 the High Constitutional Court pronounced Ravalomanana the winner of the election, and he was sworn in for a second time on May 6. The presidency remained disputed, however, until fighting forced Ratsiraka to flee into exile on July 5, 2002, after he had lost control of most of the country's provinces.

Presidency


Ravalomanana is credited with improving the country's infrastructure, such as roads, along with making improvements in education and health, but has faced criticism for his lack of progress against poverty; purchasing power is said to have declined during his time in office.[2][3] On November 18, 2006, his plane was forced to divert from Madagascar's capital during a return trip from Europe following reports of a coup underway in Antananarivo and shooting near the airport;[4] however, this alleged coup attempt was unsuccessful.
Ravalomanana ran for a second term in the presidential election held on December 3, 2006, and according to official results he won the election with 54.8% of the vote in the first round."Ravalomanana likely to win presidential election", IRIN, December 11, 2006. He was sworn in for his second term on January 19, 2007.[5]
Ravalomanana dissolved the National Assembly in July 2007, prior to the end of its term, following a constitutional referendum earlier in the year. Ravalomanana said that a new election needed to be held so that the National Assembly would reflect the changes made in this referendum.[6]

Personal life


Ravalomanana is known for his fervent Christian faith. He is at present the head layman of the FJKM (Reformed Protestant) church in Madagascar (around 2 million members). In office, he has been outspoken about his religion and in 2005 he said that he "dream[s] of a Christian nation"; critics called this a violation of the constitution, which described the state as secular[7] until a 2007 constitutional referendum removed that, along with other changes.
He claims also to be a fervent farmer. Upon becoming president he created a dairy farm and rice fields to be displayed on the property of the presidential palace in Iavoloha outside the capital.
Two of his children have been married while he was in office. His oldest daughter runs the MBS media group which controls the second most largest radio and television network in the country as well as a number of minor news papers.
His personal residency is in Andohalo, a neighborhood of the old city of Antananarivo near the Queen's palace.

Honours


Awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean from the Republic of Mauritius [1]

References


1. Didier Mauro, "Inusable Ratsiraka.", Jeuneafrique.com, November 20, 2001 .
2. "Opinion divided over Ravalomanana", IRIN, December 1, 2006.
3. "Voter apathy as election day approaches", IRIN, December 1, 2006.
4. Johnny Hogg, "Madagascar general urges overthrow", BBC News, November 18, 2006.
5. "Ravalomanana swears in as Malagasy President", Xinhua, January 19, 2007.
6. "Madagascar leader dissolves parliament", AFP (''IOL''), July 24, 2007.
7. "‘Christian dream’ of Madagascan leader irks critics", AFP (''The Peninsula'', Qatar), September 12, 2005.


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