Information AboutAlbert Zafy |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ALBERT ZAFY | |
| 1927 births | |
| zafy, albert | |
| living people | |
| malagasy politicians | |
| democracy activists | |
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Zafy studied at the University Of Montpellier in France . After his return to Madagascar he became Minister of Public Health and Social Affairs. After the coup of Didier Ratsiraka in 1975 , Zafy was forced to resign. In and the National Assembly during the transitional period."Nov 1991 - New government", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 37, November, 1991 Madagascar, Page 38565. ''World Factbook'' on Madagascar, 1993 . In the multiparty presidential election held in November 1993 , Zafy won the presidency with 66.74% of the vote; he took office in late March. In June 1993, Zafy's supporters won a majority in parliamentary elections. In office, Zafy's rivalry with Prime Minister Francisque Ravony led him to seek increased powers, and in September 1995 a successful referendum was held that substantially increased the powers of the president. This gave him authority over the selection of the prime minister, a decision that was previously in the hands of the National Assembly; following the referendum, the National Assembly was required to send three names of candidates to the president, from which he could choose. The president also gained the ability to dismiss the prime minister without requiring new elections. Ravony resigned in the next month, and Zafy appointed Emmanuel Rakotovahiny , the head of the UNDD and the former Minister of State for Rural Development and Land Reform, in his place."Oct 1995 - Resignation of Prime Minister", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 41, October, 1995 Madagascar, Page 40764.Guy Arnold, Madagascar: Year in Review 1995 , Britannica.com. Zafy's time in office saw economic decline, which negatively impacted his popularity, and amid accusations of corruption and abuse of power, he was impeached by the National Assembly on , Zafy announced that he would leave office on October 10 , and he described his impeachment as a "constitutional coup d'état" that was done as a result of his criticism of the National Assembly. Although he could not delay his departure from office, he was able to stand as a candidate in the Late 1996 Presidential Election called as a result of his impeachment.Philip M. Allen, "Madagascar: Impeachment as Parliamentary Coup d'Etat", in ''Checking Executive Power: Presidential Impeachment in Comparative Perspective'' (2003), ed. Jody C. Baumgartner, Naoko Kada, page 90. In his campaign, Zafy blamed the problems faced by the country during his presidency on his opponents and the International Monetary Fund , and he downplayed the charges against him that had led to his impeachment. Although he had lost much of his support, in the first round of the election, held on November 3 , he was able to take second place with 23.39% of the vote, behind Ratsiraka's 36.61%. Zafy received some support in the second round from those who, despite their criticisms of Zafy, felt he was preferable to Ratsiraka, such as Interim President Norbert Ratsirahonana , who had unsuccessfully stood as a candidate. In the second round, held on December 29 , Zafy narrowly lost to Ratsiraka, taking 49.29% of the vote and losing by about 45,000 votes. He later alleged that the High Constitutional Court had switched the numbers for himself and Ratsiraka, and said that he not spoken of this at the time for the sake of peace. Zafy led an attempt to impeach Ratsiraka in early 1998, accusing him of various charges, including perjury, nepotism, and violating the constitution in his moves to enhance the power of the presidency together with decentralization, at the expense of the National Assembly's power. The impeachment motion failed in the National Assembly on February 4 1998 when only 60 deputies voted in favor of it, well short of the necessary 92. Zafy was elected to the National Assembly in the May 1998 Parliamentary Election . Zafy again ran for president in the December 2001 Election , but took third place with only about 5% of the vote. During the presidency of Marc Ravalomanana , who took office after prevailing over Ratsiraka in the dispute that followed the 2001 election, Zafy has sharply criticized Ravalomanana and called for a new constitution. On December 8 2006 , Zafy's property was raided by police as part of the government's investigation regarding General Fidy , who allegedly Attempted A Coup in November, and presidential candidate Pety Rakotoniaina , both of whom the police sought to locate and arrest. Reacting to the raid, Zafy said that he did not recognize Ravalomanana as president and had never recognized him as such. "Madagascar's president wins election" , Associated Press (''International Herald Tribune''), December 9, 2006. REFERENCES |
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