Madagascar bans public protests ahead of presidential elections

Photo of author

By Webdesk


Government critics see the ban as part of a larger crackdown on dissent ahead of the November vote.

The government of Madagascar has banned public protests as concerns about suppressing dissent rise seven months before presidential elections, Radio France International (RFI) reports.

France’s RFI said on Monday the interior minister announced on state television that political protests would not be allowed in public, but could be held in “an enclosed area” so that public order could be maintained.

That was announced on Friday. A day earlier, the newspaper La Gazette de la Grande reported that its offices had been raided following the arrest of its owner Lola Rasoamaharo, RFI reported.

Rasoamaharo has been charged with libel and extortion, according to RFI.

Government critics said the protest ban and Rasoamaharo’s arrest are examples of the recent crackdown on dissent in the island nation of 29 million ahead of the first round of November’s presidential election.

President Andry Rajoelina is expected to run for re-election.

“Today we are moving towards dictatorship,” said Hajo Andrianainarivelo, leader of the Malagasy MMM opposition party and former minister.

In 2022, Madagascar was ranked 98th out of 180 countries by Reporters Without Borders in its press freedom index.

In July, two opposition leaders were arrested as hundreds of people protested in the capital Antananarivo against the rising cost of living and deteriorating economic conditions.

Weeks later, 18 people were killed when police opened fire on what they called a lynch mob enraged by the kidnapping of a child with albinism in the country’s southeast.

In recent months, Madagascar has also experienced devastating cyclones that have further exacerbated economic problems in one of the world’s poorest countries.

More than two dozen Malagasy died and tens of thousands were left homeless when Cyclone Cheneso swept the island’s west coast in January. Two months later, Cyclone Freddy swept through Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar, killing more than 220 people and displacing nearly 60,000.



Source link

Leave a Comment

Share via
Copy link