Two weeks before the first round of the presidential election on the Big Island, the new investigation by Transparency International Initiative Madagascar annoys and provokes reactions. The NGO denounces a mechanism of electoral corruption, deployed during this campaign and particularly points out the actions of a candidate: the former president of the country who is seeking his own succession. “ We do not tolerate gratuitous and unfounded accusations “, replies Andry Rajoelina’s camp.
3 mins
With our correspondent in Antananarivo, Sarah Tétaud
“ We deployed our election monitoring unit and we have proof », says Ketakandriana Rafitoson. The executive director of the Malagasy branch of Transparency International knows too well the outcry she has just triggered by revealing part of the results of the investigation carried out by her teams.
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“ On October 14, we had proof that the TGV party of candidate 3, Andry Rajoelina, had distributed invitations per household for a distribution of food and various goods in several localities [de la capitale]she says. Paper invitations were distributed including a photo and the name of each individual invited plus the name and exact address, in the colors of the TGV party as well as a QR Code. Our investigators looked into the question and we were able to demonstrate that these data, printed on these invitations which were distributed in Tana, were extracted from the fokontany registers. [des quartiers, NDLR], without the consent of the people concerned, that is to say the targets to whom this party distributed the invitations. We formally cross-checked that “.
A violation of Law 2014 -08 on the protection of personal data, which suggests that certain district leaders, explains Transparency International, are involved in this electoral corruption mechanism. “ We have a perfect illustration of the use of state structures for electoral campaign purposes and that is formally prohibited by law.underlines Ketakandriana Rafitoson. And this completely demonstrates the capture of the State and the electoral process by a single candidate, this very candidate who was the President of the Republic and who is running for re-election and who has all the assets in hand to completely block this process. electoral. So we ask the Bianco [Bureau indépendant de lutte anti-corruption, NDLR] and for anti-corruption authorities to investigate the matter “.
“ We do not tolerate gratuitous and unfounded accusations »
“ We do not tolerate gratuitous and unfounded accusations “, replies Andry Rajoelina’s campaign team, which claims to have used the ” Céni register [Commission électorale nationale indépendante, NDLR] made available to all candidates » on which information relating to the electoral list appears and “ not that of the fokontany “.
For its part, the Céni regrets that “ civil society has not officially contacted the Céni and the HCC [Haute cour constitutionnelle, NDLR] nor provided written evidence to initiate a procedure “.
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