Addis Ababa — Madagascar's opposition leader Marc Ravalomanana, who was 'sworn in' as president in an unofficial ceremony ten days ago, has presented members of his cabinet to the people and 'taken charge' as his country's armed forces' commander.
The move, the latest in a series of defiant anti-government measures, came the week after Ravalomanana named his prime minister and parallel cabinet. The same week the government of the beleaguered incumbent president, Didier Ratsiraka, imposed martial law in the capital Antananarivo and appointed a military governor to replace Ravalomanana as mayor of the city.
Ratsiraka's ministries have been closed since civil servants went on strike, almost a month ago, in sympathy with mass opposition rallies and demonstrations, protesting against what Ravalomanana said was a stolen election by his rival in December.
On Monday, soldiers stood by as thousands escorted their 'president' and his 'ministers' to their government offices. Ravalomanana, who did not appoint foreign or defence ministers last week named Jules Mamizara, a well-known general, to the defence portfolio on Monday.
Mamizara announced during a service at Antananarivo City Hall, attended by other senior officers, that "from now on, I will take orders from President Ravalomanana only."
While Ravalomanana moves confidently to consolidate his power and popular support, Ratsiraka appears to be to struggling to hold onto the formal trappings of office. His strong-arm tactics - rule by presidential decree, swingeing security laws that outlaw demonstrations, a curfew in Antananarivo and martial law - have been openly flouted by the opposition, who have continued to 'govern' with the backing of the people.
This has left a power vacuum in the Indian Ocean island that has worsened the political tension and impasse following the disputed December presidential poll. The army, which vowed to be neutral in the stand-off, has largely remained that way, with very little involvement to date. This has, so far, worked to Ravalomanana's advantage, but not in Ratsiraka's favour.
But this boost to Ravalomanana's new rival administration has not been mirrored in the international arena. His move to declare himself president on 22 February was roundly denounced by the United Nations, the Organisation of African Union and some western governments. None has recognised his parallel government. But hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters backed Ravalomanana's decision.
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Now that the millionaire mayor and self-proclaimed president has his ministers in place, the next step is to get civil servants in Madagascar working for him. If they do, this will be another blow to Ratsiraka and further proof that he is struggling to hold onto effective power.
The question is what should Ratsiraka do to regain a grip on events? And whatever he does, will Ravalomanana simply bypass it and press on with his demands for the old government to pack up and move out?
Whatever happens, it will leave unanswered the conundrum of the contested presidential poll in Madagascar. Ravalomanana maintains he won round one outright, with more than 50 percent of the vote. The official count said he was in the lead but did not win enough votes to avoid a run-off against Ratsiraka.
The international community, led by the OAU which brokered initially successful negotiations to hold a second round, is sticking by the latter decision and insists that the only way forward for Madagascar is for the rival presidential contenders to face off, in a formal vote, at the ballot box.
