Madagascar Approves New Constitution

South Africa  |  11.23.10   By PoliticsAfrica Staff

Madagascar’s new constitution has been approved by nearly three-quarters of voters in a referendum held last week, according to provisional results from the country’s electoral body.

With votes counted from more than 99 per cent of polling stations, 74.13 per cent of ballots were “Yes” votes.

Turnout was around 53 per cent, authorities said.

The vote was widely seen as a test of confidence for Andry Rajoelina, the current president.

The three main opposition parties had urged their supporters to boycott the poll.

Under the new constitution, the president will also be allowed to extend his term in power.

Analysts say that Rajoelina, 36, has made sure the terms of the new constitution are favourable for him in case he chooses to run in any future election.

He has included a statute that lowers the legal age for a president in Madagascar to 35.

The previous age limit was 40.

Rajoelina seized power in a military coup last year, and was hoping to use the referendum to rubberstamp his rule until elections he has promised next year.

Rajoelina has faced several challenges to his leadership.

Last week, about 20 dissident soldiers attempted to stage a coup.

Security forces stormed a base housing the rebels on Saturday, and the coup-plotters handed themselves in after a brief gun battle.

The country’s military has suffered from rifts since Rajoelina’s 2009 coup, when he toppled Marc Ravalomanana, the then leader, and scrapped the old constitution.

That coup, which had backing from large parts of the military, created turmoil on the Indian Ocean island, prized by foreign investors for its oil, nickel, cobalt, and uranium deposits.

Africa’s youngest leader, Rajoelina rose to power on wave of popular support, galvanising widespread anger over Ravalomanana’s increasingly autocratic style of leadership.

But Rajoelina’s failure to end the leadership squabbles and deliver on populist pledges have eroded his popularity

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