Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the United Nations to Wall Street to the Inner City

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 -- Amid growing controversy in and about Madagascar, at the UN noon briefing on May 13, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky:

Inner City Press: On the Madagascar question, is, is, there has been since I last asked this, the SADC (Southern African Development Community) has come out and said that three candidates, they are encouraged to withdraw their candidacies, saying they are not consistent with the road map. This is Mr. [Andry] Rajoelina, also Lalao Ravalomanana and another candidate. And so, one, I wanted to know if there is a UN response to that, but two, since Ms. Ravalomanana is being barred for having been out of the country, and this was a forced exile by the Government, I am wondering whether the UN has any view on forced exile, that being used as a basis to bar a candidate from running.

Spokesperson Nesirky: We can check for you on that, Matthew. I don’t have anything right now.

  But it was not until Wednesday, 47 hours after the question, that a response arrived. But the UN response did, deferring to SADC, take or adopt a position:

Subject: Your question on Madagascar
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Wed, May 15, 2013 at 11:13 AM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

In response to your questions at the noon briefing concerning Madagascar, the Spokesperson can say the following:

The United Nations is supporting the Southern African Development Community's (SADC's) mediation efforts to ensure a peaceful transition in Madagascar, and what SADC has urged is that President Rajoelina, the former first lady, Lalao Ravalomanana, and former President Didier Ratsiraka all consider withdrawing their candidatures to ensure the peaceful conduct of the elections and stability in Madagascar.

  With this answer, the UN takes a position if only indirectly on forced exile: it's fine, or at least can legitimately be used, in the UN's view, to encourage a candidate to withdrawn.

  Now on May 20, Ban Ki-moon has put out this statement:

  Lalao Ravalomanana returned to her country on July 27, 2012, but was promptly kicked out of the country by armed security forces.

  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes the right to return to one’s country as a basic human right. So to maintain, as France and SADC -- and now the UN -- do, that Mrs. Ravalomanana’s candidacy is not legitimate is to condone forced exile as a means for preventing someone from taking part in the political life of their nation.

After the CES decided on May 3 that Lalao Ravalomanana is officially a candidate, France announced on May 6 its “deception” on learning that the CES accepted Lalao Ravalomanana’s candidature.

  Inner City Press had asked, What is the UN’s position regarding Mrs. Ravalomanana’s forced exile in July 2012? Does the UN consider forced exile to be a legitimate reason for barring a person from being a candidate for election in his or her country? And that question has apparently been answered. Watch this site.