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| OIF to suspend Madagascar
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Paris, France (PANA) -
The Secretary-General of the International
Organisation of the Francophony (OIF), Mr Abdou Diouf, has convened an
extraordinary session of the Permanent Council of the Francophony
(CPF) to decide on the country's suspension until the restoration of
constitutional order.
According to the statute of the OIF, any member country where an
unconstitutional takeover of power occurs will be suspended, and this
was applied
in the cases of Guinea and Mauritania.
Last week, former Antananarivo Mayor Andry Rajoelina forcefully
assumed Madagascar's presidency, after ousting President Marc
Ravalomanana.
In a statement issued in Paris on Saturday, Mr. Diouf said that the
process which led to the assumption of power by of Rajoelina was
tainted with “illegality and constitutes a disruption of the
constitutional order.”
``The situation in Madagascar has been aggravated by the suspension of
the National Assembly and the senate, and the transfer of the powers
of these two institutions to a High Authority of Transition and to a
Council of economic and social recovery,” the former Senegalese head
of state said.
He urged the new Malagasy authorities to quickly return the country to
constitutional order through an early election.
The Secretary-General of the OIF also asked the Malagasy authorities
to ensure the security of President Ravalomanana and his close
relatives, as well as respect of
fundamental freedoms.
The African Union and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)
have already suspended Madagascar from their ranks, saying the ousting
of President
Ravalomanana from power was a coup.
The stand is shared by the European Union and the United States, which
has announced the suspension of non humanitarian aid to Madagascar.
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| Paris - 22/03/2009 |
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