Description: Madagascar’s President, Andry Rajoelina, stated that he was ready to engage in negotiating potential solutions with the protesters in the country who have denounced his calls and requested his resignation. Last week, Rajoelina, in an attempt to appeal to the demonstrators, disbanded the government which was perceived as an act of consolidating power by the protesters who have been protesting the country’s constant power outages and water shortages as well as high levels of institutionalized corruption. The President also claimed without providing any concrete evidence, that the protests were used for staging a coup in the country effectively exploiting the political turmoil.
Impact: Rajoelina’s appeals for negotiations arrive after a week of violent protests in Madagascar and are unlikely to be positively accepted by the protesters who are demanding political reformation and transformation of the government. The large island country is experiencing one of the largest demonstrations in its history stemming from the lack of access to existential goods such as reliable electricity and water supplies. The demonstrations will continue in the upcoming period depending on the projected reforms expected to be implemented by the incumbent government in case negotiations are initiated with the protesters. The situation would remain unstable while the possibility of early elections is continuously rising as the protesters have delegitimized Rajoelina as the country’s President and are demanding fundamental changes which could only be sought for after another government has been established.