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

Madagascar's Rajoelina Tells ICP Road Map Done, Despite Political Cases

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 18 -- After Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday afternoon, Inner City Press asked him about the seeming failure to put in place the measures prescribed in the road map (especially Articles 16, 17, 18, and 20) that would seem important for assuring the likelihood that elections would be free and fair.

  Rajoelina replied that a Prime Minister from the opposition had been named and, in essence, that the road map had been complied with -- which seems to be the French position too -- and that elections should be held as soon as possible.

  But it seems that Prime Minister recently sent a letter to the minister of justice ordering her to implement Article 16 ("terminating the ongoing legal proceedings against members of the opposition that would appear to be politically motivated"). So far the minister of justice is balking, putting conditions on the implementation of Article 16 that are not found in the road map.

  So, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky at the noon briefing on Friday, what will the Ban's UN do? Push for elections without the conditions in place that would seem important for elections to be truly free and fair?

  Nesirky said he was "asking" for a read out of the meeting. Meanwhile Rajoelina said that the former president has not be given amnesty; he said again and again, elections as fast as possible. We'll see.