Statement by the President of the Commission on the electoral process in Madagascar

The Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, takes note of the proclamation, December 27, 2018, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), provisional results of the second round of the presidential election in Madagascar, which took place on December 19, 2018.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, commends the Congolese Government for its swift and effective response

The President of the Commission congratulates the Acting President of the Republic of Madagascar, the Prime Minister and the Government, the High Constitutional Court (HCC), the CENI and its dismemberments, the defense and security forces, the organizations of society civil society and religious, as well as all other stakeholders, for their contribution to the success of the electoral process.He praises the maturity and civility of the Malagasy people, who once again demonstrated their deep commitment to peace, stability and democracy.

The President of the Commission calls on the two presidential candidates and their supporters to refrain from any act likely to disrupt the current process or cause unrest, pending the official announcement of the final results by the HCC. They must be fully aware of their historic responsibilities to the Malagasy people, as well as to Africa and the international community as a whole. He urges them to scrupulously respect the prerogatives of the CENI and the HCC with regard to the proclamation of the results. In case of disputes related to the conduct of the vote, they must make exclusive use of the legal channels provided for this purpose.

The President of the Commission reaffirms the commitment of the African Union to continue its action of accompaniment of the actors and the Malagasy people, with a view to the completion of the electoral process, as well as to support them in the domains of the governance and the socio-economic development. To this end, the African Union will continue to work in close coordination with the Southern African Development Community, the United Nations, the International Organization of La Francophonie, the Indian Ocean Commission and the European Union, as well as with other bilateral and multilateral partners in Madagascar. The President of the Commission welcomes the remarkable work done by the International Support Group in Madagascar (GIS-M) to facilitate the harmonization of the efforts of the various international actors,

The President of the Commission reiterates the importance attached to the success of this presidential election as a decisive qualitative step for the consolidation of democracy in Madagascar. It calls on the Malagasy people and all the institutions of the country to spare no effort to protect this new achievement in national unity, stability, security and peace.