Editing History of Madagascar (section)

== Independence ==
===First Republic (1960–1972)===
Tsiranana's rule represented continuation, with French settlers (or ''colons'') still in positions of power.  Unlike many of France's former colonies, the Malagasy Republic strongly resisted movements towards [[communism]].<ref name="Madagascar History">[[Lonely Planet]]: [http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/africa/madagascar/essential?a=culture Madagascar History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018084325/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/africa/madagascar/essential?a=culture |date=18 October 2007 }}</ref>

In 1972, protests against these policies came to a head and Tsiranana had to step down. He handed power to General [[Gabriel Ramanantsoa]] of the army and his provisional government. This régime reversed previous policy in favour of closer ties with the [[Soviet Union]].<ref name="Madagascar timeline">[[BBC]]: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1832645.stm Madagascar timeline]</ref>

On 5 February 1975, Colonel [[Richard Ratsimandrava]] became the President of Madagascar. After six days as head of the country, he died in an assassination while driving from the presidential palace to his home. Political power passed to [[Gilles Andriamahazo]].

===Second Republic (1972–1991)===
On 15 June 1975, Lieutenant-Commander [[Didier Ratsiraka]] (who had previously served as foreign minister) came to power in a coup.  Elected president for a seven-year term, Ratsiraka moved further towards socialism, nationalising much of the economy and cutting all ties with France.<ref name="Madagascar timeline" /> These policies hastened the decline in the Madagascan economy that had begun after independence as French immigrants left the country, leaving a shortage of skills and technology behind. Ratsiraka's original seven-year term as president continued after his party (Avant-garde de la Révolution Malgache or AREMA) became the only legal party in the 1977 elections.<ref name="Madagascar History" />

In the 1980s, Madagascar moved back towards France, abandoning many of its communist-inspired policies in favour of a [[market economy]], though Ratsiraka still kept hold of power.<ref name="HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR"/>

Eventually, opposition, both within and without, forced Ratsiraka to consider his position and in 1992 the country adopted a new and democratic constitution.<ref name="Madagascar timeline" />

===Third Republic (1991–2002)===
The first multi-party elections came in 1993, with [[Albert Zafy]] defeating Ratsiraka.<ref name="Madagascar History" /> Despite being a strong proponent of a liberal, free-market economy, Zafy ran on a ticket critical of the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) and the [[World Bank]]. During his presidency the country struggled to implement IMF and World Bank guidelines that were, on the short term, suicidal politically.<ref name="Structural Adjustment in MADAGASCAR">{{cite web|title=Structural Adjustment in MADAGASCAR|url=http://www.wildmadagascar.org/overview/loc/33-structural_adjustment.html|publisher=Wildmadagascar.org|access-date=August 6, 2012}}</ref>

As president Zafy was frustrated by the restraints placed upon the powers of his office by the new constitution. His quest for increased executive power put him on a collision course with the parliament led by then prime minister [[Francisque Ravony]].<ref name=ISS>Richard R. Marcus, [http://www.iss.org.za/pubs/papers/89/Paper89.htm "Political change in Madagascar: populist democracy or neopatrimonialism by another name?"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205204247/http://www.iss.org.za/pubs/papers/89/Paper89.htm |date=February 5, 2012 }}, Institute for Security Studies, Occasional Paper 89, August 2004.</ref> Zafy eventually won the power he sought after but suffered [[impeachment]] at the hands of the disenfranchised parliament in 1996 for violating the constitution by refusing to promulgate specific laws.<ref>{{cite web|title=Décision n°17-HCC/D3(Empêchement)(French)|url=http://www.hcc.gov.mg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=112&Itemid=49|publisher=High Constitutional Court of Madagascar|access-date=May 14, 2012}}</ref>

The ensuing elections saw a turnout of less than 50% and unexpectedly resulted in the re-election of Didier Ratsiraka.<ref name="Madagascar timeline" />
He moved further towards capitalism. The influence of the IMF and the World Bank led to widespread [[privatisation]].

Opposition to Ratsiraka began to grow again. Opposition parties boycotted provincial elections in 2000, and the [[Malagasy presidential election, 2001|2001 presidential election]] produced more controversy. The opposition candidate [[Marc Ravalomanana]] claimed victory after the first round (in December) but the incumbent rejected this position. In early 2002 supporters of the two sides took to the streets and violent clashes took place. Ravalomanana claimed that fraud had occurred in the polls. After an April recount the High Constitutional Court declared Ravalomanana president. Ratsiraka continued to dispute the result but his opponent gained international recognition, and Ratsiraka had to go into exile in France, though forces loyal to him continued activities in Madagascar.<ref name="Madagascar History" />

===Post-Ratsiraka===
Ravalomanana's [[Tiako I Madagasikara]] party achieved overwhelming electoral success in December 2001 and he survived an attempted coup in January 2003. He used his mandate to work closely with the IMF and the World Bank to reform the economy, to end corruption and to realise the country's potential.<ref name="Madagascar History" />
Ratsiraka went on trial (''in absentia'') for [[embezzlement]] (the authorities charged him with taking $8m of public money with him into exile) and the court sentenced him to ten years' [[hard labour]].<ref>[[BBC News]]: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3129993.stm Ratsiraka gets 10 years hard labor]</ref>

Ravalomanana is credited with improving the country's infrastructure, such as roads, along with making improvements in education and health, but has faced criticism for his lack of progress against poverty; [[purchasing power]] is said to have declined during his time in office.<ref>[http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=62258 "Opinion divided over Ravalomanana"], ''[[The New Humanitarian|IRIN]]'', 1 December 2006.</ref><ref>[http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=62266 "Voter apathy as election day approaches"], ''[[The New Humanitarian|IRIN]]'', 1 December 2006.</ref> On 18 November 2006, his plane was forced to divert from Madagascar's capital during a return trip from Europe following reports of [[2006 Malagasy coup d'état attempt|a coup]] underway in Antananarivo and shooting near the airport;<ref>Johnny Hogg, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6161398.stm "Madagascar general urges overthrow"], BBC News, November 18, 2006.</ref> however, this alleged coup attempt was unsuccessful.

Ravalomanana ran for a second term in the [[Malagasy presidential election, 2006|presidential election]] held on December 3, 2006.<ref name=Likely>[http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=62418 "Ravalomanana likely to win presidential election"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220193110/http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=62418 |date=20 February 2012 }}, ''[[The New Humanitarian|IRIN]]'', 11 December 2006.</ref> According to official results, he won the election with 54.79% of the vote in the first round; his best results were in [[Antananarivo Province]], where he received the support of 75.39% of voters.<ref>[http://www.hcc.gov.mg/election-2006/resultat-2006.php 2006 presidential election results]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414171605/http://www.hcc.gov.mg/election-2006/resultat-2006.php |date=April 14, 2012 }} from the High Constitutional Court {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> He was sworn in for his second term on January 19, 2007.<ref>[http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-01/20/content_5628465.htm "Ravalomanana swears in as Malagasy President"]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331230249/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-01/20/content_5628465.htm |date=31 March 2012 }}, ''[[Xinhua News Agency]]'', 19 January 2007.</ref>

Ravalomanana dissolved the National Assembly in July 2007, prior to the end of its term, following a [[Malagasy constitutional referendum, 2007|constitutional referendum]] earlier in the year. Ravalomanana said that [[Malagasy parliamentary election, 2007|a new election]] needed to be held so that the National Assembly would reflect the changes made in this referendum.<ref>[http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=84&art_id=nw20070724185451112C982662 "Madagascar leader dissolves parliament"], [[Agence France Presse|AFP]] (''IOL''), 24 July 2007.</ref>

He became involved in a political standoff after he closed the TV station belonging to [[Antananarivo]] mayor [[Andry Rajoelina]]. In January 2009, [[2009 Malagasy protests|protests which then turned violent]] were organized and spearheaded by [[Andry Rajoelina]], the mayor of the capital city of [[Antananarivo]] and a prominent opponent of President Ravalomanana.<ref name=france24>{{cite news|first=Catherine|last=Norris Trent|title=Antananarivo almost a ghost town after protests|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20090129-capital-becomes-ghost-town-after-protests-madagascar-mayor|agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]|publisher=[[France 24]]|date=29 January 2008|access-date=29 January 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201071733/http://www.france24.com/en/20090129-capital-becomes-ghost-town-after-protests-madagascar-mayor|archive-date=1 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hfV75EHUookBtBk2OlprGZBpDTzgD9607AL04|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090202084626/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hfV75EHUookBtBk2OlprGZBpDTzgD9607AL04|url-status = dead|archive-date = February 2, 2009|title = 43 killed in Madagascar political violence|agency = Associated Press|date = 28 January 2009}}</ref>

The situation fundamentally changed on 10 March 2009 when army leaders forced the recently appointed defense secretary to resign (the previous one had decided to resign after the killings by the presidential guard on 7 February 2009). They also announced that they gave the opponents 72 hours to dialogue and find a solution to the crisis before they would take further action. This move came after the leaders of the main military camp had announced a day earlier that they would not execute orders coming from the presidency any more since their duty was to protect the people, and not to oppress them, as groups of the military had done over the last few days.<ref>[http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/111/article_79110.asp "Army calls politicians to find solution"], ["RFI, in french"], 11 March 2009.</ref><ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/200903100624.html "Madagascar: Army Threatens to Intervene"], ["Allafrica"], 11 March 2009.</ref>

On 16 March 2009, the army seized the presidential palace in the centre of Antananarivo. Ravalomanana was not in the palace at the time.<ref>{{cite news  |title=Madagascar soldiers seize palace  |publisher=BBC|date=16 March 2009|access-date=16 March 2009 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7946741.stm }}</ref> He handed his resignation to the army, which then decided to hand over power to his fierce political rival, [[Andry Rajoelina]]. The second round of the postponed [[2013 Malagasy general election|presidential elections]] was held in December 2013 and the results were announced in January 2014. The winner and the next president was [[Hery Rajaonarimampianina]]. He was backed by Rajoelina who led the 2009 coup and still was very influential political figure.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/04/world/africa/madagascar-election-results-released.html|title = Madagascar: Election Results Released|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 4 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-24661607|title = Madagascar holds long-awaited presidential elections|work = BBC News|date = 25 October 2013}}</ref>

In 2018 the first round of the [[2018 Malagasy presidential election|presidential election]] was held on 7 November and the second round was held on 10 December. Three former presidents and the most recent president were the main candidates of the elections. Former president Andry Rajoelina won the second round of the elections. He was previously president from 2009 to 2014. Former president Marc Ravalomanana lost the second round and he did not accept the results because of allegations of fraud. Ravalomanana was president from 2002 to 2009. The most recent president Hery Rajaonarimampianina received very modest support in the first round. In January 2019 the High Constitutional Court declared Rajoelina as the winner of the elections and the new president.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/6/madagascar-presidential-election-what-you-need-to-know|title = All you need to know about high-stakes Madagascar poll}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/1/8/madagascar-court-declares-rajoelina-as-election-winner|title = Madagascar court declares Rajoelina as election winner}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.africanews.com/2018/12/28/madagascar-starts-voting-in-tight-presidential-race/|title=Madagascar: Ravalomanana challenges results in court, Rajoelina calls for calm|date=28 December 2018}}</ref>

In 2019, an [[Epidemiology of measles|epidemic of measles]] killed 1,200 people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/0cd4deb8141742b5903fbef3cb0e8afa|title=Measles outbreak kills more than 1,200 in Madagascar|last=Bezain|first=Laetitia|date=14 April 2019|website=AP NEWS|access-date=15 April 2019}}</ref>

In 2021, Madagascar's [[2021 Madagascar food crisis|worst drought in 40 years]] left more than a million people in southern Madagascar food insecure. This forced thousands of people to leave their homes to search for food.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/may/10/at-least-1m-people-facing-starvation-madagascar-drought-worsens|title=At least 1m people facing starvation as Madagascar's drought worsens|date=10 May 2021|website=The Guardian|access-date=24 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1094632|title=Madagascar's hungry 'holding on for dear life', WFP chief warns|date=23 June 2021|website=UN News|access-date=24 July 2021}}</ref>

In November 2023, [[Andry Rajoelina]] was re-elected to another term with 58.95% of the vote in the first round of the [[2023 Malagasy presidential election|election]]. Turnout was 46.36%, the lowest in a presidential election in the country's history.<ref>{{cite web |date=25 November 2023 |title=Andry Rajoelina: Madagascar president re-elected in contested poll |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67517143 |access-date=26 November 2023 |work=BBC News}}</ref>