In Madagascar, the Irmar presidential coalition wins the legislative elections on May 29. A major fact of the results proclaimed by the High Constitutional Court on Thursday June 27, the numerous requests filed for cancellation of votes were largely rejected when they came from the opposition. However, they tilted the outcome of the election to the benefit of the presidential camp in three districts. Andry Rajoelina’s coalition finally wins with 84 seats out of 163, the absolute majority in the future National Assembly.
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With our correspondent in Antananarivo, Pauline Le Troquier
Just three seats were enough to change the course of the election. Thanks to them, the Orange presidential coalition, initially given the lead with 81 seats, finally obtained the much-hoped-for absolute majority at the Tsimbazaza Palace.
The results announced swung, by decision of the High Constitutional Court, in favor of the Irmar power platform in the districts of Maevatanana and Antsohihy in the northwest of the country as well as in Vondrozo in the southeast. In these three cases, the judges ruled in favor of the requests filed by the Irmar candidates, proceeding to cancel the votes of their opponents.
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The opposition, which saw the majority of its appeals rejected, failed to take revenge through the ballot box after boycotting the November presidential election. The “Firaisankina”, its main platform led by former president Marc Ravalomanana, won 22 out of 163 seats. Within the “Kolektifa an’ny Malagasy”, only the outgoing deputy of Tamatave Roland Ratsiraka was re-elected.
Still, the suspense is not completely over. To further expand its room for maneuver, Irmar is embarking on the ambitious challenge of rallying 25 of the 51 independent deputies elected, in order to obtain 2/3 of the seats in the Assembly. Such a configuration would give Andry Rajoelina a clear horizon until the end of his five-year term by allowing him in particular to modify the Constitution and protect his government from a motion of censure.
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