On Tuesday, March 7th, around fifteen civil society organizations met to challenge citizens and authorities about their concerns about the upcoming elections, particularly the presidential one at the end of the year. Budget at half-mast, calendar not fixed, almost total absence of communication about the communal and municipal elections supposed to take place before the presidential election… Facing the press, they listed a series of changes to be made to avoid “a new crisis”.
“We are approaching the election year without the serenity necessary for it to run smoothly,” warned the spokesperson for the fifteen signatory NGOs from the outset. Among the solutions put forward to defuse the existing sources of tension, they propose to amend the electoral laws to improve them. A recommendation repeated for years, explains Tsimihipa Andriamazavarivo, coordinator of the NGO Tolotsoa, an organization dedicated to the development and promotion of democracy:
“During the 2013 and 2018 elections, we noticed the shortcomings of the law, in the sense that, for example, our electoral law lays down principles, but this same law does not provide for sanctions for those who do not respect these principles. This paves the way for a general feeling of impunity. It’s a bit like a last chance. Each year, each parliamentary session is an opportunity to make these changes, and to have elections that are more transparent, inclusive, and accepted by all.”