Madagascar's rival leaders haggled over election dates and a proposed amnesty for ousted president Marc Ravalomanana, toppled in March 2009 after weeks of street protests led by Andry Rajoelina, the former mayor of the capital who took power with the military's blessing.
Repeated negotiations have stumbled on forming a unity government that would pave the way toward elections.
Talks held in Pretoria and mediated by former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano since Wednesday have turned on a roadmap backed by former colonial master France and regional powerhouse South Africa, which are pushing for quick elections.
The two rivals along with two former presidents of Madagascar met together for the first time late Thursday, but the negotiations have deadlocked on Ravalomanana's demand for amnesty.
Ravalomanana was sentenced in June 2009 to four years in prison for conflicts of interests in the 2008 purchase of a presidential jet from the Disney group, which crystallised opposition to his government.
The two camps also remain divided on the timeline for new elections. The draft deal calls for legislative polls between July and September, followed by a presidential election. Ravalomanana wants the sequence reversed, arguing presidential leadership is the heart of the crisis.
Talks between the two rivals -- and with former presidents Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy also in attendance -- were held only late Thursday after a little coaxing from Chissano, officials said.
Although the four political leaders had signed a power-sharing accord in November, Rajoelina subsequently rejected it, prompting the African Union to impose travel and economic bans on him and scores of his backers last month.
Madagascar's economy has collapsed since the international community cut off aid and the African Union applied sanctions, while the military has grown restless over the protracted political haggling.
Source AFP
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First, I would always like to remind the world that Andry Rajoelina grabbed power in a "coup", and he maintains his grip through violence and intimidation (see Amnesty International report, or just lately, that series of arrestations following that last month pseudo coup).
Furthermore, it should never be ignored that Rajoelina has not, again and again, hold his own commitments, and Madagascar’s commitments to international laws and conventions (see for instance Mongabay’s article on how the Rajoelina regime took an active role in the plunder of the rainforest for financial gain; the sanctions by UA on the regime was also, in my view, because of this attitude).
Consequently in my opinion, one should, at the very least, be very cautious on whatever Rajoelina declares; in my view, we are facing a "rogue" regime.
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