Didier ratsiraka biography
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This was caused by a variety of factors including political instability, an oil crisis in 1973 and also capital flight due to nationalisation of the economy.
Under his socialist regime, Ratsiraka promised to make Madagascar a self-sufficient country. Several generations of Malagasy – especially those completing their secondary education from the 1970s to the 1990s – had a very poor education.
He came in first place in the first round with 36.6% of the vote,[6][8] ahead of his three main opponents: Zafy, Herizo Razafimahaleo, and Prime Minister/Acting President Norbert Ratsirahonana.[2][6] He narrowly defeated Zafy in the runoff with 50.7% of the vote[6][7] and took office again on February 9, 1997.[9]
Members of the opposition, including Zafy, unsuccessfully attempted to impeach Ratsiraka in February 1998, accusing him of violating the constitution through decentralizing reforms that would increase his own power at the expense of that of the National Assembly.
They are widely known as the “Sacrificed Generation”.
One contributing factor to this was “Malgachisation” – replacing French with Malagasy as the language of instruction. But what kind of country did he leave behind?
When Ratsiraka became Madagascar’s leader in 1975, it was a time of socio-political upheaval. This led to massive capital flight that worsened the economic situation.
Key sectors were nationalised included banking and agriculture. Ravalomanana was sworn in as President by his supporters on February 22, 2002, and the two governments fought for control of the country. The vast majority (an estimated 1.5 million students) found themselves trapped in the public school system.
Transitions of power
The regime started to buckle under the weight of a growing opposition voice.
Ultimately, it was Marc Ravalomanana (president from 2002 to 2009) who brought an end to his political career.
Ratsiraka had a strong socialist ideology.
The presidential election of 2001, which pitted the veteran Ratsiraka against the new comer and wealthy businessman, Ravalomanana, was highly contested and ended up in another political crisis and even a low level civil war. The civil conflict between the two rival presidents, which spilled over into the army, lasted for several months until Ravalomanana managed to consolidate his power, while Ratsiraka progressively lost his support.
The economic and political elites flooded private schools. Ravalomanana claimed to have actually won over 50% of the vote, and therefore to have won in the first round. After independence from France in 1960, the First Malagasy Republic was led by the Social Democratic Party and its leader, Philibert Tsiranana. Instead, there was scarcity and basic necessities were heavily rationed.
Because, according to the official results, no candidate won a majority, a runoff was to take place, but due to disputes over the election it was never held. Several thousand people demonstrated against the government in 1991. Ratsiraka eventually lost in court and fled to France in 2002. The decline continued under Ratsiraka’s government, it stood at US$484 when Ratsiraka left office for the first time in 1992.