Albert Zafy

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Albert Zafy (1 May 1927 – 13 October 2017) was a Malagasy politician and educator who served as the fourth president of Madagascar from 1993 to 1996. In 1988, he founded the National Union for Democracy and Development (UNDD).<ref>Patrick Rajoelina, Madagascar, le duel (2003), page 206 Template:In lang.</ref>

In 1992, Zafy stood as a presidential candidate against President Didier Ratsiraka. The election soon became a run-off between the two candidates. In 1993, Zafy won the run-off election in a landslide, receiving 67% of the vote.<ref name=ISS>Richard R. Marcus, "Political change in Madagascar: populist democracy or neopatrimonialism by another name?" Template:Webarchive, Institute for Security Studies, Occasional Paper 89, August 2004.</ref> During his presidency, Zafy received poor polling numbers due to an economic decline with accusations of corruption in his office. He was impeached in 1996 and then defeated by Ratsiraka in the 1996 presidential election.<ref>Guy Arnold, Madagascar: Year in Review 1996, Britannica.com.</ref> After leaving office, Zafy remained active in politics as an opposition leader under successive administrations.

Early life and early careerEdit

Zafy was born in Ambilobe, Diana Region on 1 May 1927.<ref>Transition démocratique à Madagascar (1994), page 54 Template:In lang.</ref> He studied at the University of Montpellier in France. After his return to Madagascar he became Minister of Public Health and Social Affairs under Gabriel Ramanantsoa. After Didier Ratsiraka took power in 1975, Zafy resigned from the government and joined the University of Madagascar.<ref name=Africana>Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience (1999), ed. Kwame Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., page 2039.</ref>

Early political careerEdit

Opposition leader in the early 1990sEdit

In 1988 he founded the National Union for Democracy and Development (UNDD). At a national conference of the opposition in 1990, Zafy was elected as President of the Committee of Active Forces (CFV), a cooperation group of several opposition parties, including Zafy's UNDD. On 16 July 1991, the CFV declared the creation of an alternative government, with Zafy as its Prime Minister.<ref name=Africana/> Zafy was detained for a week in late July 1991 and was met with a crowd of about 100,000 supporters upon his release.<ref name=Offers>"Madagascar Offers Coalition", The New York Times, 31 July 1991, section A, page 3.</ref> He was subsequently wounded during a protest.<ref name=Africana/> The opposition was ultimately successful in forcing Ratsiraka to agree to the Panorama Convention, which established a transitional government and stripped Ratsiraka of most of his powers, on 31 October 1991.<ref name=ISS/> Zafy oversaw the transition as head of the High Authority of the State,<ref>"Madagascar's Leader Agrees To Work for New Elections", The New York Times, 3 November 1991.</ref> which, along with the Social and Economic Recovery Council, replaced the Supreme Revolutionary Council and the National Assembly during the 1991–1993 transitional period.<ref>"Nov 1991 – New government", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 37, November 1991 Madagascar, Page 38565.</ref><ref>World Factbook on Madagascar, 1993 Template:Webarchive.</ref>

First Presidential runEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In the multiparty presidential election held in November 1992, Zafy came first in the first round with about 45% of the vote; Ratsiraka placed second with about 29%.<ref name=Elections>Elections in Madagascar, African Elections Database.</ref> In the second round, held on 10 February 1993, Zafy won the presidency with 66.74% of the vote. He took office in late March–the first time since Madagascar's independence in 1960 that an incumbent president peacefully transferred power to an elected member of the opposition. In June 1993, Zafy's supporters won a majority in parliamentary elections.<ref name=Elections/>

Presidency (1991–1996)Edit

TenureEdit

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.<ref name=Elections/>

The president also gained the ability to dismiss the prime minister without requiring new elections.<ref name=ISS/><ref name=Elections/> Ravony resigned in October 1995, and Zafy appointed Emmanuel Rakotovahiny, who was the head of the UNDD and had been Minister of State for Rural Development and Land Reform, in his place.<ref>"Oct 1995 – Resignation of Prime Minister", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 41, October 1995 Madagascar, Page 40764.</ref><ref>Guy Arnold, Madagascar: Year in Review 1995, Britannica.com.</ref>

Zafy's time in office was widely seen as being marked by economic decline, which negatively impacted his popularity, and amid accusations of corruption and abuse of power,<ref name=ISS/> he was impeached by the National Assembly on 26 July 1996. The impeachment was backed by more than the necessary two-thirds majority; out of 134 deputies present, 99 voted in favor of the motion, 32 against it, and there were three null votes. On 4 September, the High Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment.<ref>"Empêchement du Président de la République", Décision n°17-HCC/D3(Empêchement), High Constitutional Court website Template:In lang.</ref> On 5 September, Zafy announced that he would leave office on 10 October, and he described his impeachment as a "constitutional coup d'état" that occurred 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.<ref name=Allen>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.</ref>

1996 re-election bid and defeatEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In his 1996 campaign, Zafy blamed the problems faced by Madagascar 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,<ref name=Allen/> in the first round of the election, held on 3 November,<ref name=Elections/><ref name=Allen/> he was able to take second place with 23.39% of the vote, behind Ratsiraka's 36.61%.<ref name=Elections/> 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 first round.<ref name=Allen/> In the second round, held on 29 December, Zafy narrowly lost to Ratsiraka, taking 49.29% of the vote<ref name=Elections/> 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 had not spoken of that at the time for the sake of peace.<ref name=Allen/>

Post-presidency (1997–2017)Edit

Opposition leader under RatsirakaEdit

Zafy led an attempt to impeach Ratsiraka in early 1998, accusing him of various charges, including perjury and nepotism; he also accused Ratsiraka of violating the constitution in his moves toward decentralization and the strengthening of the presidency at the expense of the National Assembly's power. The impeachment motion failed in the National Assembly on 4 February 1998 when only 60 deputies voted in favor of it, well short of the necessary 92. Zafy subsequently won a seat in the May 1998 parliamentary election, becoming the oldest deputy in the National Assembly.<ref name=Allen/> He also unsuccessfully sought the secession of Antsiranana Province from Madagascar at around the same time.<ref name=Allen/><ref>"Ex-President Zafy reportedly seeking secession of northern province", Malagasy National Radio (nl.newsbank.com), 12 November 1997.</ref>

On 31 August 2001, Zafy announced that he would again run in the December 2001 presidential election.<ref>"Madagascar: Former president says he will stand in next elections", AFP (nl.newsbank.com), 1 September 2001.</ref> On that occasion, he placed a distant third with about 5% of the vote.<ref name=Elections/> Opposition candidate Marc Ravalomanana prevailed in an extended dispute with Ratsiraka over the election results, and Ratsiraka fled into exile.<ref name=ISS/>

Opposition leader under RavalomananaEdit

Zafy became the leader of the National Reconciliation Committee (CRN), which was founded in June 2002 to promote national reconciliation among the leading participants in the political crisis that followed the 2001 election.<ref>"Madagascan opposition parties talk business", AFP (IOL), 1 June 2005.</ref> During Ravalomanana's presidency, Zafy and the CRN were viewed as part of the radical opposition in Madagascar. Zafy strongly criticized Ravalomanana and called for a new constitution.<ref name=ISS/> A grenade exploded outside Zafy's home early on 8 July 2004, causing some damage but no injuries.<ref name=Grenade>"MADAGASCAR: Grenade explodes outside ex-president's home", IRIN, 9 July 2004.</ref> This occurred in the midst of a series of grenade attacks across the country.<ref name=Grenade/><ref>"MADAGASCAR: Security beefed up after grenade attacks", IRIN, 12 July 2004.</ref>

On 8 December 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.<ref>"Madagascar's president wins election", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), 9 December 2006.</ref> Zafy travelled to Paris in June 2007, where he met with Ratsiraka and members of his former government who were also in exile. He met with Ratsiraka on 8 June, with AREMA leader Pierrot Rajaonarivelo on 9 June, and with Tantely Andrianarivo, who served as Prime Minister under Ratsiraka, on 11 June.<ref>"Zafy Albert en France; Tête à tête avec Didier Ratsiraka", Madagascar Tribune, 12 June 2007 Template:In lang.</ref> He met with Ratsiraka and Andrianarivo again on 25 June.<ref>"Rencontre Ratsiraka-Zafy-Tantely", Madagascar Tribune, 27 June 2007 Template:In lang.</ref>

Role in 2009–2010 political eventsEdit

President Ravalomanana was forced out of office through popular protests and military intervention in March 2009; opposition leader Andry Rajoelina assumed the presidency with support from the military. Rajoelina included Zafy's adviser Betiana Bruno as one of 44 members of the High Transitional Authority, which he appointed on 31 March 2009. Zafy expressed his objections to the transitional government at a press conference on 1 April, complaining that Rajoelina would not take his advice; he also said that he would seek provincial autonomy. Bruno was nevertheless present at the national conference which began on 2 April and was promoted by Rajoelina's government.<ref>"National conference opens to seek solution to crisis in Madagascar", Xinhua (People's Daily Online), 3 April 2009.</ref>

File:Professeur Albert Zafy (cropped).png

Zafy in September 2012

On 4 August 2009, as part of negotiations for a solution to the political crisis, Zafy met with Rajoelina, Ravalomanana, and Ratsiraka, along with former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, who acted as mediator at the four-day-long mediation crisis talks held in Maputo.<ref>Template:Citation </ref><ref>Template:Citation </ref><ref>Template:Citation </ref><ref>Template:Citation </ref> An extended process of negotiations between the four leaders resulted in a power-sharing agreement, but by December 2009 that agreement had effectively collapsed. Rajoelina's government initially barred Zafy and others from returning to Madagascar after the talks, but later he was allowed to return. In the wake of the power-sharing agreement's collapse, Zafy declared on 18 December 2009, that the opposition would form its own government of national unity. He denounced Rajoelina, saying that Rajoelina had "reneged on his signature" and that the opposition could "no longer trust him to run the country". He also called on the army to refrain from involvement in the political situation.<ref>Richard Lough, "Madagascar opposition to form unity govt", Reuters (IOL), 18 December 2009.</ref>

Personal life and deathEdit

Zafy died of a stroke on 13 October 2017 at a hospital in Saint-Pierre in the French overseas department of Réunion at the age of 90.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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