Madagascar: continuation of the series of presidential ordinances

Text by: RFI Follow

In Madagascar, it is the continuation of the series of presidential ordinances. In February 2020, following a request from the President of the Senate, the High Constitutional Court ordered the President of the Republic to regularize a series of orders made by the latter during the vacancy of the National Assembly. The Head of State had indeed failed to have these orders validated by his Parliament, once it had been established. Convened in an extraordinary session, the National Assembly, acquired in power, ratified this Thursday, March 5, all of the nine ordinances. The situation should be different next week in the Senate, the upper house being mainly in opposition.

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With our correspondent in Madagascar, Sarah Tétaud

Modifications to the law on the general electoral system, modification of the composition of the Senate which should pass from 63 to 18 senators in the next elections this year, possibility from now on to confiscate ill-gotten assets before conviction within the framework of the recovery of illicit assets, change of name and new missions of the now old road maintenance fund for a new road fund ... Thursday evening, everything happened very quickly. " We have been ordered to ratify everything ," said an MP. " In our legal committee, the minister came to see us to tell us that we did not need to discuss the substance, " said another.

Ratified in less than two hours

In less than two hours, the nine prescriptions were ratified, by a show of hands, by an overwhelming majority. For Christine Razamahasoa, the president of the National Assembly, " this vote is completely logical and natural and in no way predicts , she says, a problem of stability for the country. "

The Senate vote is expected next Wednesday. " We will debate the content of the orders at least so that we can understand the scope of these important texts " explains Rivo Rakotovao, the president of the institution. " And then, it will be the first time that we will have them in our hands, " he quips.

The concern of civil society

On the civil society side, there is concern. Clément Rabenandrasana, the executive secretary of citizens' organizations on the extractive industries deplores the impossibility of having access to the content of the order, despite several requests to this effect: " From what we were good enough to tell us at the ministry , the text should be a step forward. Sanctioning provisions would have been added to the initial text. If a company commits damage, in particular environmental, legal proceedings are streamlined to punish more quickly. But then why not have published it? Why can't we consult it? it is this complete lack of transparency that worries us. And members of Parliament, are they aware of what they are voting on? I am afraid that is no. "

Be that as it may, the outcome of these votes is already known: in the event of rejection by the Senate and after a possibility of second reading for each Chamber, the National Assembly will have the final say.

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• Andry Rajoelina

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