Editing History of Madagascar (section)

===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" />