Omer Beriziky appointed as new PM of Madagascar

Madagascar's High Transitional Authority (HAT) President Andry Rajoelina on Friday evening appointed Omer Beriziky as the consensus prime minister. Under, the presidential decree 2011-653, Beriziky takes over the premiership from Albert Camille Vital and has 15 days to propose members of his government. Vital, together with members of his government, resigned on Oct. 17. Rajoelina made the announcement at the Iavoloha state palace in Antananarivo, the Madagascan capital. The occasion was attended by the South African deputy minister for international relations and chief mediator for the Troika of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), Marius Fransman, members of the diplomatic corps in Madagascar, as well as representatives of political groups that signed the roadmap to end Madagascar's political crisis. "Beriziky is a trusted man who will guide the transition to the end. The decision to choose him was mine, and me alone, without any undue pressure from anyone else," Rajoelina said. The newly appointed prime minister spoke immediately after appointment, vowing to "respect the roadmap whose implementation is expected to restore constitutional normality in the country through the organization of credible, free and fair elections." Beriziky, an official of the Leader Fanilo political party, which is part of the Union of Democrats and Republicans for Change (UDC-C), was proposed by the camp of ex-president Zafy Albert. A lecturer at the Toamasina University in eastern Madagascar, Beriziky initially occupied the position of an extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Madagascar to Belgium between 1995 and 2006. During that time, he also served as president of the Africa- Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) committee of ambassadors. According to the roadmap signed on Sept. 17 by 10 Madagascan political groupings, the prime minister was supposed to be appointed by the transitional president from a list of names proposed by the political groups that signed the roadmap to end the crisis. The prime minister was not supposed to be either from the same province or political group that supports the transitional president. This roadmap also developed a timetable which stipulated that the head of the government of national unity should be appointed before Nov. 1, members of his government before Nov. 17 and the members of the transitional parliament before Nov. 30. The Madagascan political crisis began in December 2008 following a dispute between the then president, Marc Ravalomanana, and the then mayor of Antananarivo, Rajoelina. The massive protests led by Rajoelina resulted in Ravalomanana's resignation on March 17, 2009. Ravalomanana transferred power to the military on March 21, 2009 and fled into exile in South Africa on March 25, 2009. The current roadmap was signed on Sept. 17 was the third official document inked after the Maputo accord and the Addis- Ababa additional Act, both of which were struck in 2009 to end Madagascar's political crisis.