A nation struggles to achieve stability
Madagascar's leader abdicates. New chief, chosen by the army, vows to help the poor.
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar - If outsiders think of Madagascar at all, it's for the island's unique plants and animals, or two DreamWorks movies recently made about them.
The politics of this impoverished nation off southeastern Africa also can seem exotic or like something out of Hollywood: This week a former disc jockey backed by the army toppled a dairy magnate to take power.
Since independence from France in 1960, Madagascar has struggled to establish stability and democracy. Street protests toppled the first president two months into his second term, and the army has been deeply involved in politics.
"Will we never have democratic change?" said Antananarivo resident Mirana Razanaparany. "Why does it always have to come from the streets?"
For months, Andry Rajoelina, 34, a former disc jockey with a gift for articulating the grievances of the poor majority, led rallies pressing Marc Ravalomanana, 59, to step down as president so he could replace him.
Tensions had been rising since late January, when the government blocked the signal of a radio station Rajoelina owned. In response, Rajoelina supporters set fire to a government broadcasting complex as well as an oil depot, a shopping mall, and a private TV station linked to Ravalomanana. Scores of people were killed. Days later, soldiers opened fire on antigovernment protesters, killing at least 25.
The incident cost Ravalomanana much of the support of the military. Without their support, it was only a matter of time before Ravalomanana was toppled.
On Tuesday, Ravalomanana announced he was handing power to the military. Hours later, the military pronounced Rajoelina president. Yesterday, Madagascar's highest court endorsed the army's move, even though Rajoelina is six years too young to serve as president under the country's constitution.
The majority of Madagascar's population lives in misery, with ecotourism, vanilla production, and even the recent discovery of oil still not enough to spur growth.
The Peace Corps has suspended its programs in Madagascar and has been evacuating its volunteers amid the unrest. The turmoil also has scared off tourists, who once paid dearly to see Madagascar's rare lemur primates and baobab trees.
Ravalomanana's rags-to-riches tale - he went from peddling yogurt from a bicycle to running a multimillion-dollar food and broadcasting empire - was once a source of popularity. But Rajoelina was able to portray Ravalomanana as interested primarily in further enriching himself and increasingly out of touch with ordinary people.
Rajoelina owns radio and TV stations and is from the wealthy elite who have long dominated politics in Madagascar. Many believe he is linked to - and may be acting on behalf of - Didier Ratsiraka, one of the country's longest-serving leaders and one of Ravalomanana's most bitter rivals.
On Tuesday, Rajoelina paraded triumphantly through the capital surrounded by soldiers and an adoring crowd.
Other nations, dismayed at the toppling of a democratically elected leader, will be watching to see that Rajoelina keeps his pledge of holding elections in two years.
The African Union will be examining whether what had taken place was a coup, which would lead to Madagascar's automatic suspension from the continentwide body.