Presidential elections were held in Madagascar on 3 November 1996, with a second round on 29 December 1996. The election followed the impeachment of incumbent President Albert Zafy and the appointment of his interim successor, Norbert Ratsirahonana. Didier Ratsiraka won a narrow victory after a runoff.
Background Madagascar became independent from France in 1960, forming the First Republic of Madagascar. After student-led protests in 1972, then-President Philibert Tsiranana turned over control to General Gabriel Ramanantsoa. In 1975, Didier Ratsiraka was named as President, and confirmed by a referendum. This began the Second Republic of Madagascar. Ratsiraka held a tight grip on power until 1991, when protests led by Albert Zafy led to the Panorama Convention, beginning a governmental transition. A 1992 constitutional referendum established the Third Republic, with its first presidential election in 1993.
Ratsiraka was unpopular by the time the 1993 election came, in part because he had been recorded ordering the presidential guard to shoot unarmed protestors during the 1991 unrest. Zafy defeated Ratsiraka in the 1993 election handily, 67% to 33%. Once in power, Zafy chafed at the constraints the new constitution placed on the president. In 1995, he successfully spearheaded a referendum to amend the constitution to centralize power in the presidency. However, the National Assembly objected to his centralization of power, and in July 1996, they impeached Zafy. The High Constitutional Court ratified the impeachment in September, but Zafy was allowed to run in the election scheduled for November 1996.
Candidates Three incumbent or former Presidents ran in this election: Ratsiraka, Zafy, and Norbert Ratsirahonana, who was named acting President after Zafy was impeached. The fourth candidate with a significant voter base was Herizo Razafimahaleo, the former Minister for Industrial Promotion.
Election
In the first round, former President Didier Ratsiraka took first place with 36.6% of the vote with a turnout of 58.41%.Madagascar: 1996 Presidential election results EISA However, as he failed to win more than 50% of the vote, a second round was held, in which Zafy, who had been able to run despite his impeachment, was the sole alternative.Philip M. Allen, "Impeachment as Parliamentary Coup d'Etat", in Checking Executive Power: Presidential Impeachment in Comparative Perspective (2003), ed. Jody C. Baumgartner, Naoko Kada, page 91
LEADER-Fanilo candidate Herizo Razafimahaleo, who took third place with 15.1%, backed Ratsiraka for the second round.Leader Fanilo sous la IIIe République Herizo.com Ratsirahonana, the acting President and Prime Minister, who stood as a candidate and received fourth place with 10.1% of the vote,Rapport de la Mission d'Observation de l'Élection Présidentielle du 29 décembre 1996 (2è tour) democratie.francophonie.org backed Zafy.
In the second round, Ratsiraka achieved a narrow victory. On 6 January 1997, Zafy alleged that vote rigging and irregularities had occurred."Madagascar: Zafy alleges vote rigging, "irregularities" in presidential final ballot", Malagasy National Radio, Antananarivo, 6 January 1997 Final results confirming Ratsiraka's victory were announced by the High Constitutional Court on 31 January,"Madagascar: Didier Ratsiraka wins presidential election by small margin", AFP, 31 January 1997 and he was sworn in on 9 February."Ratsiraka sworn in as Madagascar's new president", Television Malagasy (Antananarivo), 9 February 1997 Zafy conceded defeat in early 1997.
Results
References