Leaders fail to agree
2009-08-28 09:08
Maputo - Madagascar's power-brokers ended talks in Mozambique on Friday without reaching agreement on the make-up of a transitional government to lead the country out of its political crisis, mediators said.
"The international joint mediation team regrets to inform ... (that) the heads of the movements have found it impossible to come to a consensus on the key posts of the transition," said a statement issued by the mediators.
Madagascar's rival leaders have agreed to name an interim government by September 4, mediators said.
Several institutions of the transitional government have already been decided, they added.
Marc Ravalomanana, the president who was ousted in March, and current leader Andry Rajoelina will each get to decide the leader of one of the houses of the transitional parliament.
The two rivals will also pick one vice-prime minister each.
Democratic elections
Other institutions of the interim authority will be decided by former president Albert Zafy and members of civil society, mediators said.
Madagascar's rival leaders, together with former presidents Zafy and Didier Ratsiraka, agreed on August 9 in a previous round of talks to name a transitional government that will return the Indian Ocean island to constitutional rule and organise democratic elections by the end of 2010.
The country has been in crisis since Rajoelina overthrew Ravalomanana with military backing following weeks of violent protests.
The international community has ostracised Madagascar since the ouster, isolating it diplomatically and cutting off aid.
The African Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) suspended Madagascar pending a return to constitutional rule.
But mediators said finding the right balance between the rival leaders in the top positions of the transitional government - the presidency, the vice-presidency and the office of prime minister - has been a delicate task.
Transitional authority
This week's talks were extended an extra day to give the factions time to settle their differences on the top posts in the transitional government.
But negotiations stumbled over the issue of who would be interim president.
Under the August 9 agreement, the president will be the only member of the transitional authority eligible to run for election in 2010.
Rajoelina has said only he can lead the transition.
But Ravalomanana, who has pledged not to seek a direct role in the interim government, rejected giving the presidency to Rajoelina and said the post should go to a member of his movement.
"It's not normal to legitimise an author of a coup d'état as the president of the transition," Ravalomanana said.
If the four movements don't reach a consensus, international organisations will "keep Madagascar's chair empty" and donor countries "won't be in a hurry to change their attitude toward Madagascar," said chief mediator Joaquim Chissano after the talks broke off early on Friday morning.
The August 9 agreement gives the leaders 30 days to name the new government.
Mediators said the factions agreed to settle their differences by September 4 in order to present the new government at the next SADC summit, which starts September 6.
