Madagascar: Secretary-General concerned by latest electoral developments

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon shares the concerns expressed earlier by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union over the latest developments in the electoral process in Madagascar, according to the spokesperson for the world body’s chief.

“The presentation of candidate nomination papers by Transition President Andry Rajoelina, Mrs. Lalao Ravalomanana and former President Didier Ratsiraka, and the decision of the Special Electoral Court to endorse those candidatures, is in violation of the spirit of the SADC-mediated Road Map,” the spokesperson added in a statement.

In 2011, the Indian Ocean nation’s political parties signed a SADC-brokered roadmap which allowed for the unconditional return from exile of Mr. Ravalomanana, deposed in a 2009 coup led by President Rajoelina after weeks of unrest.

Meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly’s high-level debate in late September last year, the Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson and President Rajoelina discussed the implementation of the roadmap and the preparations for the 2013 elections.

The Secretary-General’s statement today stresses that UN assistance to the electoral process is conditional upon strict adherence by all parties to the Road Map as the sole framework for a restoration of the full legitimacy of the Government of Madagascar.

“The Secretary General calls on all stakeholders to comply with the SADC Organ Troika and the African Union Peace and Security Council decisions, so that elections can take place in accordance with the calendar prepared by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the Transition and endorsed by the United Nations,” the statement added.