, ANTANANARIVO (The capital of Madagascar), MORONDAVA, MANANJARY, FIANARANTSAO, MANAKARA, TOLIARA, and TOLANARO.Running Madagascar GovernmentalMadagascar has been an autonomous republic within the French Community since 1958. Madagascar became an independent member of the community in 1960. In May of 1973, Wright 5an army coup led by Major General Gabriel Ramanantsoa ousted Philbert Tsiranana, president of Madagascar, since 1959. Comdr. Didier Ratsiraka, named president on June 15, 1979, announced that he would follow a socialist course and, after nationalizing banks and insurance companies, declared all mineral resources nationalized. Repression and censorship characterized his regime. Ratsiraka was reelected in 1989 in a suspicious election that led to riots as well as the formation of a multiparty system in 1990. In 1991 Ratsiraka agreed to share the power with democratically minded opposition leader, Albert Zafy, who then overwhelmingly won the presidential election in February of 1993. But Zafy was impeached by parliament for abusing his constitutional powers during an economic crises and lost the 1996 presidential election to Ratsiraka, who became president in February 1997. On Wednesday February 4, 1998 the parliament threw out an attempt by the opposition to impeach President Ratsiraka. Correspondents said the result was a foregone conclusion, as fewer MP’s turned up to vote. That the two-thirds majority of assembly required for impeachment. Opposition MP’s, headed by the former president Albert Zafy, said that President Ratsiraka’s plans to devolve power to the provinces and increase the president’s powers breached the constitution. President Ratsisaka wanted the plan put to referendum in March 1998. – President Didier Ratsisaka has been president since than along with Re’ne’ Tantely has been prime minister since July 23, 1998. Wright 6Concluding MadagascarTravel SafeThe first thing to...
