In a show of firmness to quell dissent, Malagasy Prime Minister Christian Ntsay spoke on national television for half an hour on Wednesday night to reaffirm the holding of the presidential election on November 9th. The head of the collegial government also sought to conclusively put an end to debates regarding the impartiality of the decisions made by the High Constitutional Court (HCC), which notably led the institution to entrust him with the reins of the country until the next presidential election.
“The High Constitutional Court has done its job by applying the current laws,” explained Christian Ntsay, who now heads the collegial government. The HCC had assigned the functions of interim head of state to this government after the president of the Senate suddenly refused to assume this role. “The decision of the HCC cannot be questioned, there should be no further debate,” emphasized Christian Ntsay.
In response to the opposition’s claim that the elections will not take place, the Prime Minister retorted, “We are following the electoral calendar, and we will manage to hold the first round on November 9th.”
With a wave of his hand, the head of the government also dismissed rumors of the suspension of the printing of single ballots. “There is no problem at this level. Sensitive documents are printed in South Africa with the support of the UNDP,” he recalled, before publicly questioning the beneficiaries of these rumors.
For the Prime Minister, there is no talk of a political crisis in Madagascar. “There are only intentions to sabotage the organization of the election,” he said. “Let us not disturb the people with these various calls for strikes. The people are waiting for us to give them the power to choose their leader.”
Christian Ntsay has called on all 13 candidates to participate in the election preparations with a sense of calm. On Thursday morning, if it is not canceled once again, a meeting is scheduled to take place between the candidates and the HCC.