Ravalomanana, Marc

▪ 2003

      Throughout 2002 the African island nation of Madagascar continued to reel from the disputed presidential elections of December 2001. A court-ordered recount was required for decision to be reached on the close contest between challenger Marc Ravalomanana, mayor of the capital city of Antananarivo, and Didier Ratsiraka, the sitting president for more than two decades. In the first round of voting, Ravalomanana's lead over Ratsiraka appeared narrow enough to require a runoff vote (required when neither candidate wins a majority), but Ravalomanana refused and declared outright victory. Outside the country observers cried foul, while inside the country two men established presidencies on parallel tracks.

      Ravalomanana, a self-made millionaire whose political experience was short, had gained the reputation as a bold manager while mayor of Antananarivo. Though he was remembered for having bulldozed inhabited houses during a massive urban-restoration project, he had the backing of the capital city, where followers launched a general strike in January 2002. By March it still was not clear who was in charge of Madagascar; Ravalomanana proceeded to name a cabinet, and Ratsiraka imposed martial law. Ordering a recount in April, the Supreme Court ruled that Ravalomanana had indeed won more than 50% of the vote. Supporters of each candidate continued to clash for several months, though, as the country teetered on the cusp of civil war. Defenders of Ratsiraka, concentrated in the city of Tamatave, attempted to blockade Antananarivo, and fears loomed that political fighting would devolve into ethnic conflict.

      Midway through the year, Ravalomanana slowly consolidated his control outside Antananarivo, particularly in rural areas, where his appeal was low. After Ravalomanana's administration was recognized by France and the United States, Ratsiraka went into exile in July. Later that month, however, the African Union (AU) declared the 2001 elections “unconstitutional” and placed Madagascar in suspension. Hoping to appease the AU and bring greater stability to the country, Ravalomanana announced his intentions to stem corruption by vastly raising the salaries of his ministers and by dissolving the parliament in anticipation of new elections to the National Assembly in December. With these changes, it was hoped that the AU would readmit Madagascar in January 2003 at its extraordinary summit.

      Ravalomanana was born in 1949 near Antananarivo, Madagascar, French Union. He had a Protestant education, first by missionaries in his native village of Imerikasina and then at a Protestant school in Sweden. Returning to Antananarivo, he launched a family venture selling homemade yogurt, which quickly grew into a booming business. In less than two years, with assistance from the Protestant church, he secured a loan from the World Bank to purchase his first factory, and he soon had a monopoly of dairy and oil products. Just prior to his presidential bid, he had developed the company, TIKO, into the largest domestically owned business in Madagascar, with some 3,000 employees.

Tom Michael

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