African diplomats secure peace pact

The two rival candidates vying for Madagascar's presidency signed a deal on Thursday to end a four-month long political crisis which has paralysed the country. President Didier Ratsiraka and opposition candidate Marc Ravalomanana signed the Organisation of African Unity (OAU)-brokered accord in Dakar, Senegal, after some tense negotiation. The leaders agreed to a transitional national reconciliation government if no clear winner emerges from a recount of votes cast in the disputed December presidential poll. The Supreme Court nullified the original results on Wednesday and ordered that the votes be recounted. "The parties agree that in the event that neither candidate obtains the majority required to be elected in the first round of the vote, a referendum in which the people will choose between the two candidates will be organised with the help of the United Nations, OAU, the European Union and the international community in a maximum of six months' time," the accord reads. "It took almost nine months to resolve the last crisis. Fortunately, this time around, fewer people have died and there seems to be a serious commitment from both sides for peace and economic recovery," regional political analyst Michel Davis, of the Africa/Asia Foundation, told IRIN on Thursday. One analyst commended the effort by African mediators. "Without a doubt the deal signals a move in the right direction for Madagascar, but it also points to the success of African diplomacy," said political science lecturer Heidi Hudson. In terms of the accord, Ratsiraka and Ravalomanana will jointly designate a prime minister in the transitional government. "Of the five principal ministries, Ravalomanana will name the interior and finance ministers. The other members of the government will be named by mutual agreement, with half chosen by Ravalomanana and the other half by Ratsiraka," says the accord. Ravalomanana insists that Ratsiraka's government rigged the count after the 16 December election to give him less than an outright majority - meaning a second round of voting was needed. The accord says that a new entity, the Independent Electoral Commission, will replace the National Electoral Committee which organised the last poll, and will oversee the running of the envisaged referendum. Ravalomanana controls the capital, Antananarivo, and has appointed his own cabinet there. Ratsiraka's loyalists, with more support in the provinces, have blockaded the capital, cutting off supplies of fuel, sugar, salt and other essentials. The conflict has grown increasingly violent in the past two months, with at least 35 people reported dead in politically-related clashes. It has also raised concern, because of the impact it has had on basic service delivery, over a possible humanitarian crisis. However, according to the accord, Ravalomanana and Ratsiraka have now agreed to "respect the freedom of movement of goods and people, to immediately stop all threats and violence against people and goods, and the dynamiting of bridges, and to lift all blockades throughout the country".