The 2009 Malagasy political crisis began on 26 January 2009 with the political opposition movement led by Antananarivo mayor Andry Rajoelina, which sought to oust President Marc Ravalomanana from the presidency. The crisis reached its climax in the 2009 Malagasy coup d'état led by Colonel Noël Rakotonandrasana when Andry Rajoelina was declared the president of the High Transitional Authority of Madagascar on 21 March 2009, five days after Ravalomanana transferred his power to a military council and fled to South Africa.
The international community immediately condemned the leader and his ascension as unconstitutional, characterising the move as a coup. Financial support and foreign investments stopped, and the country fell into one of the worst economic crises in its history. The SADC and the African Union were designated to supervise Madagascar's political reinstatement.
Though the objective of the transitional government was to run presidential elections as soon as possible to relieve the tensions (despite regular delays), its major challenge was to establish an agreement among Madagascar's four key political factions (Rajoelina, Ravalomanana, Zafy and Ratsiraka), some of which were skeptical of the transitional government. On 11 December 2010, a new constitution was formally approved, launching the Fourth Republic. On 28 October 2011 a consensus Prime Minister, Omer Beriziky, was appointed. Presidential and parliamentary elections were scheduled for 8 May and 3 July 2013 and eventually held in December.
Origins of the conflict
In December 2007, Andry Rajoelina was elected mayor of Antananarivo. Tensions quickly grew between president Ravalomanana and the young mayor over the course of 2008 as Rajoelina became a vocal critic of a series of unpopular policies enacted by the president. He condemned what he called the "restriction of freedom" on the island, and criticized the president's plans to lease large parts of land to the South Korean industrial company Daewoo.
On 13 December 2008, the Ravalomanana administration decided to shutter Viva TV, a television channel belonging to Rajoelina after broadcasting an interview with the former exiled president Didier Ratsiraka. Other television and radio stations that also aired the interview were not sanctioned.
Andry Rajoelina organized a series of rallies in January 2009 that took aim at the Ravalomanana administration and gave voice to growing popular resentment toward the president's increasingly authoritarian policies and a widespread perception that national development had only benefitted an elite minority of which the president was the most visible figurehead. As anti-government frustration transformed into civil unrest, two state television stations were burned by anti-government protesters. At least 130 people were killed in Madagascar during the crisis. The protests were seen as the gravest challenge faced by the Ravalomanana government since he came to office in 2002. President Ravalomanana vowed to restore order "whatever the cost", according to a government statement.
Protests
Rajoelina called a general strike during the weekend of 24–25 January 2009, in the capital city, Antananarivo, against Ravalomanana, whom he has called a dictator. Ravalomanana, who was in South Africa, cut short his trip to a regional summit in Pretoria, and flew back to Madagascar. In a statement Ravalomanana accused the mayor of attempting a coup saying, "The call for revolt and civil disobedience... corresponds to a coup d'état...tramples on the values of the constitution and the republic's institutions."
On 26 January 2009, the protests turned increasingly violent. Demonstrators set fire to the Madagascar state-owned radio building, attacked a private television station owned by Ravalomanana and looted shops and businesses throughout the city. That same day, armed government security agents reportedly disabled the transmitter of Viva Radio, a private radio station owned by Rajoelina.
Protesters ransacked two pro-government television stations in Antananarivo. Thousands of protesters raided and looted the headquarters of the Radio Nationale Malgache and Télévision Nationale Malgache building around 1 pm local time on 26 January 2009. About an hour later demonstrators burned down the Malagasy Broadcasting System, a private station owned by President Ravalomanana. A policeman and a fourteen-year-old protester were reportedly killed in the clashes at the Malagasy Broadcasting System attacks.
Firefighters found the bodies of at least 25 people in the ruins of a burned out, looted department store in downtown Antananarivo. The bodies were thought to be those of looters who became trapped in the burning shop when the roof caved in. In total, 44 people died. Their bodies were taken to a morgue, and all but ten of them were found to be severely burned.
In a show of defiance against the government, Rajoelina called for all Antananarivo residents to stay home on 29 January 2009. This "ghost town" (ville morte) protest basically closed all stores and businesses in the capital city.
The Roman Catholic Cardinal emeritus of Antananarivo Armand Razafindratandra appealed for calm as the protests spread outside of the capital. All state and private radio stations in the country reportedly ceased broadcasting, with the exception of Radio Don Bosco, which is run by the Salesian religious institute.
Rajoelina said on 31 January that he was taking control of the country due to the failure of Ravalomanana and the government to fulfil their responsibilities. He said that a request for Ravalomanana's "immediate resignation" would be submitted to Parliament "in order to comply with the legal procedure". Furthermore, he asked that the central bank withhold money from the government, that all government ministries close, and that the security forces join him. Rajoelina said that he wanted the constitution to be respected and that it was Ravalomanana who had violated the constitution. According to Rajoelina, a new transitional government would soon be appointed under his leadership and a new presidential election would be held within two years. Speaking on the same day, Ravalomanana stated that he was "still the president of this country" and that he would "do what is necessary to develop this nation".
The African Union (AU) immediately warned Rajoelina that it would not accept an unconstitutional power grab in Madagascar: "It's totally forbidden to take power by non-constitutional means."
Opposition leaders allied to Rajoelina filed a petition with the High Constitutional Court on 2 February, asking it to remove Ravalomanana from office. By that point, attendance at Rajoelina's rallies had reportedly decreased. On 3 February, Rajoelina said at a rally that he would announce his new government on 7 February. On the same day, the High Constitutional Court ruled that it had no power to remove the President from office, as that power belonged to Parliament. Also on 3 February, Rajoelina was dismissed as Mayor and a special delegation, headed by Guy Randrianarisoa, was appointed instead. Rajoelina denounced the decision, saying that there was "no valid reason" for it and that he was prepared to face arrest if necessary; he warned that the city would "not accept this decision".
Rajoelina held another rally on 4 February, with about 1,500 people in attendance. On that occasion he described the appointment of Randrianarisoa as "an insult to the people of Madagascar"; he instead designated Michele Ratsivalaka to succeed him as Mayor and gave her his mayoral scarf.
Shooting at opposition rally
On 7 February, an opposition rally was held with twenty-thousand in attendance. The demonstrators marched towards Ambohitsorohitra Palace and crossed the "ligne rouge" (red line), the perimeter line around the palace gates that demarcates the zone off-limits to the public. The palace guards responded by firing live ammunition to disperse the crowd. Initial reports counted 83 wounded and 28 people killed, including a local reporter. Some looting was reported afterward. Ambulances took the wounded to hospitals or private clinics, and bodies were seen piled up on the streets before they were taken to the morgue. The National Police warned that the death toll could rise, as many of the wounded were in critical condition. The following day it was reported that the death toll had increased to at least 50, with doctors estimating that 180 people had arrived at the city's main Ravoahangy Andrianavalona Hospital. Antananarivo journalist Fanja Saholiarisoa said: "The mortuary is full and the hospital is full. On TV there is a special announcement calling on people who have cars to come and pick up the injured people from the hospitals". This brought the number of people killed since the start of the political violence to 130, with 80 people killed before the shooting of the demonstrators, including the people who died in the burned department store.
Also on 7 February, Rajoelina said that Roindefo Monja would be prime minister under his transitional authority. According to Rajoelina, each of Madagascar's regions would have representation in the transitional authority. Regarding Ambohitsorohitra Palace, Rajoelina alluded to its history as a mayoral residence prior to 2002 and said that it "belongs to the people and to the city", while declaring that he had decided to give the palace to Monja for his use as prime minister. On the same day, Ravalomanana urged "calm and order", accusing Rajoelina of "cross[ing] all limits", while Prime Minister Charles Rabemananjara announced a one-week extension of the curfew.
While visiting hospitalized victims of the shooting on 8 February, Rajoelina vowed to continue his struggle and argued that Ravalomanana's answer to the popular call for change was gunfire. He called for a national day of mourning on 9 February.
On 9 February, Defence Minister Cécile Manorohanta announced her resignation, saying, "After all that has happened, I decide as of now to no longer remain part of this government." Chief of military staff Mamy Ranaivoniarivo was appointed to replace Manorohanta on the same day.
7 February shooting was thought to have reversed the opposition's declining momentum. Newspapers published on 9 February, strongly denounced the shooting. On 10 February, speaking before a rally of about 5,000 supporters, Rajoelina urged the people to observe a general strike on the next day; he asked that everyone stay indoors and that no one go to work or attend school. Roindefo announced the appointment of four ministers to serve in his transitional government, and he said that the remainder of them would be appointed by the end of the week. Meanwhile, both Ravalomanana and Rajoelina accepted dialogue in principle; Rajoelina said that dialogue would be conditional on the holding of a new presidential election or the formation of a transitional government.
At a 35,000-strong rally in Antananarivo on 14 February, Ravalomanana said that he would serve out his full term as president, that he was listening to the people, and that he regretted the deaths that had occurred during the protests. On the same day, Rajoelina held a rally nearby, with about 10,000 in attendance.
At a rally on 17 February, Rajoelina vowed to continue the struggle, and later in the day several thousand of his supporters engaged in sit-ins near key ministries. Representing the government, Defense Minister Ranaivoniarivo invited Roindefo to participate in talks. Rajoelina's supporters took over several important ministries on 19 February, changing the locks and installing Rajoelina's own ministers to work in them. Meanwhile, Ravalomanana appointed a new Minister of the Interior, Rabenja Sehenoarisoa (who had previously served as chief of police in the capital). His predecessor as Interior Minister, Gervais Rakotonirina, was said to have departed the government due to poor health. Only hours after the opposition took over the government ministries, they were removed from the ministries by security forces early on 20 February; about 50 of Rajoelina's supporters were arrested.
Ravalomanana and Rajoelina met on 21 February; this meeting, which lasted about 45 minutes, was organized by the Council of Christian Churches in Madagascar. Both Ravalomanana and Rajoelina agreed to five points intended to calm the situation. This was intended as a prelude to more comprehensive dialogue. On 23 February the two met again for about an hour, and they held a third meeting, also lasting an hour, on 24 February. However, Ravalomanana failed to appear for a planned meeting on 25 February, and Rajoelina then announced that he was withdrawing from the talks. Rajoelina criticized Ravalomanana for his absence and furthermore stated that the meetings he had held with Ravalomanana prior to that were disappointing. Odon Razanakolona, who had been mediating the talks, abandoned his role shortly before Rajoelina withdrew from the talks; according to Razanakolona, the talks were fruitless and deadlocked.