Madagascar Gets New President
JOHANNESBURG — Madagascar's electoral commission has declared Hery Rajaonarimampianina the winner of the December 20 presidential poll, although the final tally has been challenged by his opponent.
Hery Rajaonarimampianina spent the last four years as Madagascar's finance minister - a tough job in a country's whose tourism and foreign aid were drying up.
Rajaonarimampianina was backed by Rajoelina, while his opponent, Jean-Louis Robinson, was backed by Marc Ravalomanana, the president who was forced to resign in 2009.
In the meantime Madagascar has been without an elected government, the economy is in ruins and grinding poverty is spreading. The presidential elections have been postponed several times.
Hery Rajaonarimampianina, ex-finance minister in the outgoing president Andry Rajoelina government has won the presidential run-off election defeating his rival Jean Louis Robinson by 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent votes.
Key Points:
He was backed by the incumbent president Andry Rajoelina who grabbed the power in army-supported coup in 2008 having ousted elected candidate Marc Ravalomanana.
The rival candidate Jean Louis Robinson was a former health minister in ousted President Marc Ravalomanana’s government.
International observers expressed reasonable satisfaction with the electoral process though the opposition has alleged election fraud.
The Disastrous Coup:
The coup spelled doom for the economy of this impoverished nation as international donors slashed aids, which had previously accounted for 40% of the government’s budget, and foreign investments dried up.
It plunges the country into economic disaster pushing almost nine of every 10 people in the country of 22 million into penury.
90% of the population is forced to live on less than $2 a day as per the figures of World Bank.
The crippled economy forced the government to further curb services including education, water and health care, deepening poverty click here for more information about Gets New President.
Catalyst for election:
The crisis in Madagascar has cost the economy, which relies on mainly tourism, agriculture, and mining.
The return to democratic set-up is meant to end a crisis that has driven out investors, cut aid flows and sharply plunged the economy rendering many in penury.
About the Country:
Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa.
It is the fourth-largest island in the world after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo (Indonesia).
Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot; over 90 percent of its wildlife is found nowhere else on the earth.
Area: 587,041 square km (47th largest in the world)
Population (2012 estimate): 22 million (53rd largest in the world)
Capital and largest city: Antananarivo
First president: Philibert Tsiranana (1960–72)
Hery Rajaonarimampianina spent the last four years as Madagascar's finance minister - a tough job in a country's whose tourism and foreign aid were drying up.
Rajaonarimampianina was backed by Rajoelina, while his opponent, Jean-Louis Robinson, was backed by Marc Ravalomanana, the president who was forced to resign in 2009.
In the meantime Madagascar has been without an elected government, the economy is in ruins and grinding poverty is spreading. The presidential elections have been postponed several times.
Hery Rajaonarimampianina, ex-finance minister in the outgoing president Andry Rajoelina government has won the presidential run-off election defeating his rival Jean Louis Robinson by 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent votes.
Key Points:
He was backed by the incumbent president Andry Rajoelina who grabbed the power in army-supported coup in 2008 having ousted elected candidate Marc Ravalomanana.
The rival candidate Jean Louis Robinson was a former health minister in ousted President Marc Ravalomanana’s government.
International observers expressed reasonable satisfaction with the electoral process though the opposition has alleged election fraud.
The Disastrous Coup:
The coup spelled doom for the economy of this impoverished nation as international donors slashed aids, which had previously accounted for 40% of the government’s budget, and foreign investments dried up.
It plunges the country into economic disaster pushing almost nine of every 10 people in the country of 22 million into penury.
90% of the population is forced to live on less than $2 a day as per the figures of World Bank.
The crippled economy forced the government to further curb services including education, water and health care, deepening poverty click here for more information about Gets New President.
Catalyst for election:
The crisis in Madagascar has cost the economy, which relies on mainly tourism, agriculture, and mining.
The return to democratic set-up is meant to end a crisis that has driven out investors, cut aid flows and sharply plunged the economy rendering many in penury.
About the Country:
Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa.
It is the fourth-largest island in the world after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo (Indonesia).
Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot; over 90 percent of its wildlife is found nowhere else on the earth.
Area: 587,041 square km (47th largest in the world)
Population (2012 estimate): 22 million (53rd largest in the world)
Capital and largest city: Antananarivo
First president: Philibert Tsiranana (1960–72)