His Excellency, Marc Ravalomanana, the President of the Republic of Madagascar, met with the international media in Johannesburg this morning to discuss the nomination of his new Prime Minister and his plans for returning to Madagascar.

President Ravalomanana confirmed that he is still the democratically elected and constitutional President of Madagascar. As such, he takes “full responsibility for following the Constitution and respecting the rule of law”.

In accordance with Article 53 of the Constitution, he appointed Manandafy Rakotonirina as his new Prime Minister. The Prime Minister’s mission will be to select and propose Ministers so a working Government can be rebuilt.

The President announced that he “will work with all parties interested in a peaceful outcome, that adhere to the Constitution, the rule of law, and democracy”. He reminded all those involved in the crisis in Madagascar that “national interest is above all other interests”.

President Ravalomanana also declared, that “forming an inclusive Government that respects the Constitution is an extremely important and urgent step to restore constitutional order in Madagascar”.

He reminded the press that many achievements have been accomplished since his election as President in 2002, and that Madagascar was the first country to qualify for the Millennium Challenge Account in 2004, in recognition of good governance and sound economic policies.
President Ravalomanana set up the Madagascar Action Plan in 2007, a bold and ambitious five year plan for the development of the country. He is very much saddened that the progress of the MAP has been stopped and reversed by the HAT, including large-scale education reforms for which Madagascar received much funding from donors.

He reiterated that “all countries in the world have condemned the events in Madagascar as a coup d’état”, and that his “decision to move forward with the new Prime Minister and inclusive Government is the best option to work out of the crisis, ensuring the restoration of peace and security”.

The President thanked all the SADC and AU countries for their support and the commitments they have made. He also thanked the tens of thousands of supporters who have demonstrated in Madagascar regularly, and the demonstrators in France and Reunion. He stated that it truly shows the international solidarity between Malagasy people.

The President also thanked the women’s movement recently established in Madagascar for their courage and determination, and announced that such support would help the Prime Minister achieve his mission.

President Ravalomanana also discussed the recent G20 meeting that offered support to developing countries, and declared that he hopes to once again count on their support once rule of law and constitutional order are restored.