- The Malagasy political leadership has again failed to agree on the power sharing deal signed in Maputo, with the army also absolving itself from any participation.
The four main players had reportedly asked for the power to be transferred to the military council when an agreement could not be reached on which sides should take the top three political posts of president, deputy and prime minister in the Indian Ocean island.
A statement from the army said the forces would rather remain neutral in the political, even though also insinuating that any decision should also be sanctioned by the army.
The Madagascar army in March this year handed over power to the former mayor of Antananarivo, Andy Rajoelina, who is now negotiating from the power position.
Mr Rajoelina has reportedly not been in favour of any of the players taking key positions in the transitional arrangement, especially the deposed president Marc Ravalomanana who has been in exile between Swaziland and South Africa since being forced out of office in March this year.
A political agreement signed on 9 August in Maputo had brought a new hope in end the political crisis that has marred Madagascar since the beginning of the year. The agreement would give the country’s transitional government at least 15 months to level the playing fields in the country and ensure a smooth return to democratic order.
The four main political players, Mr Ravalomanana, Mr Rajoelina and the former presidents Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy had until 4 September to agree on the power sharing mode.
The UN Secretary-General yesterday made an appealed to all sides involved in the political crisis in Madagascar to maintain their commitment to the power-sharing agreement reached last month and to end their deadlock on the composition of a government of national unity.
Mr Ban “reiterates that there is no alternative to a political agreement and a consensual transition,” according to a statement issued on Thursday evening by his spokesperson. “He calls on all parties and all sectors of the Malagasy society to remain calm and allow for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.”
In the statement, Mr Ban appealed “to the President of the Haute Autorité de Transition in Madagascar and other interested parties to adhere to the spirit” of the agreement made in Maputo.
“The United Nations will remain engaged through the Joint Mediation Team for Madagascar and is ready to support the implementation of the Maputo agreements and stand by the Malagasy people as the country returns to normalcy,” it added.
The Maputo pact was struck following talks that were mediated by the former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano and a joint team comprising the UN, the African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the International Organization of the Francophonie.
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