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Of Madagascar and Mayors

Madagascar’s opposition leader Andry Rajoelina has proclaimed himself in charge of the country’s affairs, following days of violent protests.

“Since the president and the government have not taken their responsibilities… I will run all national affairs as of today,” he said.

The mayor of the capital, Antananarivo, is locked in a power struggle with President Marc Ravalomanana.

Read more.

Please pray for Madagascar, the situation is getting more and more serious. Sue is due to make a trip out there at the end of April.

Once again, this gives an illustration of the blessings which many people who live in the west take for granted. Many people dislike the mayor of London, Boris Johnstone, a great deal – but no one would imagine that he would declare himself president of the country without any sort of democratic process.  I’m pretty sure that Boris wants to be prime minister one day, but he will have to get elected as leader of his party and then win a majority in an election. Sadly, too many politicians in Africa and other parts of the world want to short cut the process.

One reply on “Of Madagascar and Mayors”

Andry’s self-proclamation, contrarily to ravalomanana’s self-proclamation in 2002, does not refer to a normal government. Rather, it refers to heading a transitional government whose setup does not have to be through an unanimous voting process nor respond to what the Constitution says. It is just a platform that carries out temporarily the affairs of a nation while awaiting for the anticipated official election day.

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