 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 61.93% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|---|
 Madagascarportal |
Presidential elections were held in Madagascar on 3 December 2006. President Marc Ravalomanana, in office since he prevailed in a dispute over election results in 2002, ran for re-election. On 9 December, Ravalomanana was declared to have won in the first round with 55% of the vote. [1]
In May, the date of the election was moved forward to 3 December, several weeks earlier than had previously been expected. The reason given was that the earlier date could avoid having the election affected by bad weather during the rainy season; the constitutional court approved the new date, saying that it did not violate the constitution. The constitution says an election should be held between 30 and 60 days before the end of a president's mandate. [2] Many of the opposition candidates did not like the earlier date and wanted the election to be postponed; [3] [4] they said that the constitution required that the election not be held before 25 December. [4]
Exiled former deputy prime minister Pierrot Rajaonarivelo of the AREMA opposition party tried to run for president, and was considered Ravalomanana's main opponent, [5] [6] but he was barred from participation; he was not allowed to enter the country (on one occasion the airport at the eastern city of Toamasina was closed to keep him out, and when he tried again to enter the country he was not allowed aboard a plane in nearby Mauritius), [3] and his registration papers, which he could not sign because he was not allowed into the country, were rejected because he had not signed them himself. During his exile, Rajaonarivelo was convicted of misuse of funds, and he could be arrested if he returns to Madagascar. Fourteen other presidential candidates were approved on 18 October, while three others were rejected for not paying a required deposit. [7] [8]
Aside from Ravalomanana, presidential candidates included former deputy prime minister Herizo Razafimahaleo, former prime minister and acting president Norbert Ratsirahonana, Roland Ratsiraka, nephew of former president Didier Ratsiraka and mayor of Toamasina, [9] and Jean Lahiniriko, who was Speaker of the National Assembly from 2003 until earlier in 2006. [6] One woman also ran for president, Elia Ravelomanantsoa. [6]
In mid-November, retired general Andrianafidisoa, commonly known as Fidy, whose candidacy had been rejected for failing to pay the deposit, had leaflets distributed announcing a military takeover; describing Ravalomanana's government as unconstitutional, he called for the military to support him. This led to a clash at a military base in which one soldier was reported killed, and Ravalomanana's plane, carrying him back to Madagascar, had to be diverted from the capital, Antananarivo, to another part of the country. [10] [11] [12] Subsequently the situation was described as calm and without any sign of a military takeover. [10] A warrant for Fidy's arrest was issued, and Fidy subsequently denied that there had been a coup attempt, calling that a misinterpretation. [12] On 22 November Fidy received the backing of most of the presidential candidates, who said he was defending the constitution and the interests of the nation. [13] [14] A few days after the election, the government unsuccessfully attempted to arrest one of the candidates who backed Fidy, Pety Rakotoniaina, the mayor of Fianarantsoa. [15] The government denied that this was because of his support for Fidy and accused him of other crimes, [16] including holding an illegal gathering the day before the election, after the end of campaigning. [15] Fidy was captured on 12 December; [17] Rakotoniaina was not captured until July 2007. [18]
Results from the capital Antananarivo, Ravalomanana's main support base, were reported first, and they showed Ravalomanana with 70% of the vote. Challengers Norbert Ratsirahonana and Herizo Razafimahaleo had 11% and 7% of the vote respectively; [19] Roland Ratsiraka had about 5%. [9] Subsequent results from almost 14% of polling stations gave Ravalomanana 66%; Ratsiraka held second place with 9% while Razafimahaleo and Ratsirahonana had 7%. [20] Results from 77% of polling stations showed Ravalomanana with 57% of the vote and Ratsiraka in second place with 10%. [15] On 8 December, with votes counted from 82% of polling stations, counting was temporarily suspended due to electrical power problems. [21] On 9 December, with votes counted from 96% of polling stations, Ravalomanana had 55% of the vote and was declared the winner. Jean Lahiniriko was in second place with 11%. [1]
Ballot papers for the candidates Monja Roindefo, Philippe Tsiranana, Ferdinand Razakarimanana, and Manandafy Rakotonirina were not available at polling stations. [22] They had not met the 29 October deadline for submitting the papers and, although they tried to submit them afterward, the government refused to accept them and said that anyone who attempted to distribute ballot papers to polling stations on the day of the election would be arrested. [23]
According to results released by the Interior Ministry of Madagascar on 10 December, a total of 61% of the country's registered 7.3 million voters went to the polling stations, giving Ravalomanana 55% of the vote, 12% for Jean Lahiniriko, [24] [25] [26] 10% for Roland Ratsiraka, [24] [26] and 9% for Razafimahaleo. [24] The figures still needed to be confirmed by the Constitutional High Court to be official. [25] [26] Lahiniriko's campaign director called the results false and said that Ravalomanana had only received about 49%; [27] both Lahiniriko and Ratsiraka said that they were challenging the official results in court. [28]
On 23 December the Constitutional High Court confirmed that Ravalomanana won the election with 55% of the vote. The final official results gave Lahiniriko 12% and Ratsiraka 10%. [29] [30] Ravalomanana was sworn in for his second term on 19 January 2007. [31]
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marc Ravalomanana | Tiako I Madagasikara | 2,435,199 | 54.79 | |
| Jean Lahiniriko | Independent | 517,994 | 11.65 | |
| Roland Ratsiraka | Independent | 450,717 | 10.14 | |
| Herizo Razafimahaleo | LEADER–Fanilo | 401,473 | 9.03 | |
| Norbert Ratsirahonana | Judged by Your Work Party | 187,552 | 4.22 | |
| Ny Hasina Andriamanjato | Independent | 185,624 | 4.18 | |
| Elia Ravelomanantsoa | Our Madagascar | 113,897 | 2.56 | |
| Pety Rakotoniaina | Union | 74,566 | 1.68 | |
| Jules Randrianjoary | Independent | 33,463 | 0.75 | |
| Daniel Rajakoba | Fihavanantsika | 28,363 | 0.64 | |
| Manandafy Rakotonirina | Movement for the Progress of Madagascar | 14,712 | 0.33 | |
| Philippe Tsiranana | Independent | 1,128 | 0.03 | |
| Ferdinand Razakarimanana | Independent | 41 | 0.00 | |
| Roindefo Monja | Independent | 21 | 0.00 | |
| Total | 4,444,750 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 4,444,750 | 98.08 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 87,196 | 1.92 | ||
| Total votes | 4,531,946 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 7,317,790 | 61.93 | ||
| Source: African Elections Database | ||||
Marc Ravalomanana is a Malagasy politician who served as the sixth President of Madagascar from 2002 to 2009. Born into a farming Merina family in Imerinkasinina, near the capital city of Antananarivo, Ravalomanana first rose to prominence as the founder and CEO of the vast dairy conglomerate TIKO, later launching successful wholesaler MAGRO and several additional companies.
Albert Zafy was a Malagasy politician and educator who served as the fourth President of Madagascar from 1993 to 1996. In 1988, he founded the National Union for Democracy and Development (UNDD).
Didier Ignace Ratsiraka was a Malagasy politician and naval officer who was the third President of Madagascar from 1975 to 1993 and the fifth from 1997 to 2002. At the time of his death, he was the longest-serving President of Madagascar.
Norbert Lala Ratsirahonana is a Malagasy politician who served as the sixteenth Prime Minister of Madagascar and acting President of Madagascar from 1996 to 1997.
René Tantely Gabrio Andrianarivo was a Malagasy politician who was Prime Minister of Madagascar from 23 July 1998 to 31 May 2002, under President Didier Ratsiraka.
Articles related to Madagascar include:
An alleged coup d'état attempt occurred in Madagascar on November 18, 2006, during the lead-up to the December 3 presidential election, when retired army General Andrianafidisoa, also known as Fidy, declared military rule.
Andrianafidisoa, popularly known as Fidy, was a military general of the Army of Madagascar and a Director of the National Mines and Strategic Industries Office (OMNIS). He allegedly attempted a coup d'état against Malagasy President Marc Ravalomanana on 18 November 2006.
Pierrot Jocelyn Rajaonarivelo is a Malagasy politician who served in the government of Madagascar as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2011 to 2013. He previously served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1997 to 2002, under President Didier Ratsiraka, and he was also National Secretary of the AREMA party at that time. He went into exile when Ratsiraka was ousted in 2002, and he was subsequently convicted of abuse of office in absentia. He was seen by many as the main potential challenger to President Marc Ravalomanana in the December 2006 presidential election; however, he was barred from standing.
Herizo Jossicher Razafimahaleo was a politician in Madagascar. He ran for President three times, and he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister from 1997 to 1998.
Jean Lahiniriko is a Malagasy politician. He served in the government of Madagascar as Minister of Public Works from 2002 to 2003 and was president of the National Assembly of Madagascar from 2003 to 2006. Subsequently he was the second place candidate in the 2006 presidential election. He is now the president of the Socialist and Democratic Party for the Unity of Madagascar (PSDUM) and a member of the High Transitional Authority under President Andry Rajoelina.
Iarovana Roland Ratsiraka is a Malagasy politician.
Manandafy Rakotonirina was a Malagasy politician. He had been a significant political figure in Madagascar since the 1970s, and in April 2009 he was appointed as Prime Minister by ousted President Marc Ravalomanana.
Presidential elections were held in Madagascar on 3 November 1996, with a second round on 29 December 1996. The election followed the impeachment of incumbent President Albert Zafy and the appointment of his interim successor, Norbert Ratsirahonana.
Parliamentary elections were held in Madagascar on 23 September 2007, with the vote to be repeated in two constituencies on 14 November 2007. 637 candidates contested the election, in which the 127 seats in the National Assembly were at stake.
Pety Rakotoniaina is a Malagasy politician. He is the President of the Union (Tambatra) association and was the Mayor of Fianarantsoa.
Monja Roindefo Zafitsimivalo is a Malagasy politician who was Prime Minister of Madagascar from March 2009 to October 2009. He was appointed on 7 February 2009 by opposition leader Andry Rajoelina at the head of Rajoelina's rival government; later, on 17 March, Andry Rajoelina was installed in power by the military, and Monja Roindefo officially took over as Prime Minister.
General elections were held in Madagascar on 20 December 2013, following a first round of presidential elections on 25 October. The presidential elections in December were a runoff between Jean Louis Robinson and Hery Rajaonarimampianina, the top two candidates to emerge from the first round of voting in October. The official results of the second round were announced on 7 January 2014 with Rajaonarimampianina proclaimed the victor with nearly 54% of the vote.
The 2002 Malagasy Political Crisis covers the period of mass protests and violent conflict following a dispute over the results of the 2001 Malagasy presidential election. It took place in Madagascar between January-July 2002 and ended with the swearing-in of President Marc Ravalomanana and flight of former president Didier Ratsiraka.
Presidential elections were scheduled to be held in Madagascar on 9 November 2023, with a second round on 20 December if required. On 12 October 2023, it was announced that the election would be postponed by one week to 16 November because of pre-election unrest.
| Presidential elections | |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary elections | |
| Local elections | |
| French elections | |
| Referendums | |
