Pierrot Rajaonarivelo
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Pierrot Jocelyn Rajaonarivelo (born 1946[1]) is a Malagasy politician and national secretary of the AREMA party.[1] He served as deputy prime minister under former president Didier Ratsiraka and was seen by many as the main challenger to current President Marc Ravalomanana in the December 2006 presidential election,[2] but was barred from standing.
Rajaonarivelo served as ambassador to the United States from 1989 to 1997 and subsequently was deputy prime minister in charge of the budget and decentralization from 1997[1] to 2002. Following the December 2001 presidential election, a dispute arose between Ratsiraka and Ravalomanana regarding the results; after months of struggle, this dispute led to defeat for Ratsiraka and his supporters. A few days before Ratsiraka fled Madagascar in early July 2002, with the situation having turned clearly in Ravalomanana's favor, Rajaonarivelo announced his willingness to work with Ravalomanana.[3] Like Ratsiraka, however, Rajaonarivelo went into exile in France when Ravalomanana prevailed. While in exile, Rajaonarivelo was sentenced to five years in prison in 2003 for abuse of office;[4] he was subsequently convicted on charges of misuse of funds in August 2006 and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, as well as barred from holding public office. Rajaonarivelo faces arrest upon return to Madagascar; he says the charges against him were politically motivated.[2]
In spite of the conviction and sentence, on October 7, 2006, he attempted to return to the country to register as a presidential candidate before the October 14 deadline, but the airport at Toamasina was closed to keep his plane from landing.[2] When he tried again to return he was not allowed to board a flight in nearby Mauritius, being described as a security risk; this measure had been requested by the government in Madagascar.[5] Because of this he could not sign his registration papers personally, and on October 18 he was barred from participating in the election by the Constitutional Court for that reason.[6] Rajaonarivelo said that "by preventing my participation Marc Ravalomanana's regime invalidates the election", and he accused the international community of supporting "tyrannical practices" with "complicit silence".[7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Biography at official site (in French).
- ^ a b c Ed Harris, "Madagascar airport shut to stop Rajaonarivelo", Reuters, October 9, 2006.
- ^ "13 dead as Ravalomanana's troops move on port", AFP, July 1, 2002.
- ^ U.S. State Department report on human rights practices in Madagascar in 2003.
- ^ "Exiled Rajaonarivelo barred anew from return", AFP, October 12, 2006.
- ^ Alain Iloniaina, "Madagascar court rejects polls challenger, clears 14", Reuters, October 19, 2006.
- ^ Ed Harris, "Polls invalid without me, says Rajaonarivelo", Reuters, October 20, 2006.
