2023-11-10 08:52:03
The noose is tightening around the regime in place and the bodies responsible for organizing and judging elections. A few days before the first round of the presidential election, declarations are multiplying from different organizations and associations, as well as the international community, to express their concern about the holding of the presidential election. A call for dialogue and another, even more incisive, for the cancellation of the November 16 election are being heard from all sides.
More than fifty associations, civil society organizations and journalist groups said yesterday “no to the elections of November 16, 2023”. The absence of an adequate environment for fair, peaceful and universally accepted elections is already denounced by various strong forces of the Nation, affirms civil society in a press release published yesterday. For them, several points are called into question. This is the case, among other things, of the inappropriate electoral census which leaves out more than 30% of voters, the lack of credibility of electoral institutions, particularly the composition of the CENI and the HCC, the appointment of the collegial government by the HCC, the extraordinary session of the Senate, endorsed by the Government to dismiss the President of the Senate, followed afterwards by the illegal appointment of another President, the insignificant postponement of one week of the elections. The press release mentions a flagrant obstruction of freedom of expression and assembly suffered by all dissenting voices, followed by violence perpetrated by the forces of repression or between civilians and the proven anomalies and irregularities demonstrating the flagrant flouting of electoral law not sanctioned during the campaign period.
“Democracy is more than ever in danger with the persistence of those in power to flout the law and work unilaterally, the strong forces of the nation have decided to regroup and work together to prevent the crisis from becoming is getting tougher to the detriment of the majority of the population and socio-economic actors, while we are still suffering the serious consequences of the 2009 crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. », Continues the press release.
Holding dialogue between the 13 candidates and the main stakeholders concerned proves to be a solution, and this dialogue should only end when a political agreement which takes into account the best interests of the Nation is adopted, affirms the civil society.
For the international community, in a brief press release released yesterday evening, the group of ambassadors working in Madagascar reiterated its concerns about the deterioration of the political situation. She expressed her deep concern following the violent incidents of recent days in Antananarivo which caused several injuries, some of them serious, and following the arrests of certain political figures. The signatories of this press release, including the delegation of the European Union in Madagascar, the embassy of Germany, the United States and Japan, urge all stakeholders to exercise the greatest restraint and political dialogue, in the sense of responsibilities and to refrain from any statement likely to inflame tensions.
For its part, the group of mediators bringing together the President of the National Assembly and leaders of the FFKM churches call the 13 candidates for the presidential election and the active forces of the nation to a meeting today in Tsimbazaza to try to resolve crisis.
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