Country profilesMadagascar

Humanitarian profile

Madagascar is regularly affected by natural disasters, such as cyclones, flooding, drought and insect infestations. The political crisis which began in 2009 caused additional hardship as basic services declined. Malnutrition is a problem. The majority of the population live on less than $2 a day and depend on rice.

Country snapshot

Madagascar is famed around the world for its unique ecosystem. Due to its relative isolation in the Indian Ocean, about 360km off the coast of east Africa, around 80 percent of Madagascar’s plant species and half the birds on the island cannot be found anywhere else in the world. 

Madagascar is a former French colony. The main island is the world’s fourth biggest island covering an area bigger than Spain. Madagascar is the world’s largest producer of vanilla and a major exporter of coffee and sugarcane.

About 21 million people live in Madagascar and the capital is Antananarivo. The Malagasy people are the local people who make up about half the population. They are believed to be related to indigenous people from Indonesia who over 2,000 years ago arrived by boat and settled on the island. Malagasy and French are the official languages. English was an official language in Madagascar between 2007 and 2010 until it was removed by a new constitution in November 2010.

The World Bank estimated that about 70 percent of the population in Madagascar live in poverty and that only 70 percent of the adult population are literate.

Government

Since independence in 1960, governments in Madagascar have been relatively fragile. The legitimacy of the current government, led by Andry Rajoelina, which grabbed power in 2009, is disputed. The United Nations has suspended development aid to the country and the African Union imposed sanctions on members of the interim government.

In November 2010, the people of Madagascar voted in a referendum to change the constitution. The opposition boycotted the referendum and the international community said it was illegal. The main changes are to lower the minimum age of the president to 35 years from 40 years and to concentrate more power in the hands of the President. Rajoelina will be 36 when the next election is scheduled in 2011.

Under the previous constitution executive power was balanced between the President and the Prime Minister who was head of the government. The President was elected for up to two five year terms. The President picked the Prime Minister who may come from any party within the National Assembly. The National Assembly has two chambers. The lower chamber has 127 members directly elected for four year terms. The upper chamber has 33 members who serve four year terms. Provincial lawmakers pick 22 members of the upper chamber and the President picks 11 members.

Economy

Agriculture, fishing and forestry form the backbone of Madagascar’s economy and employ most of its population. Coffee, vanilla, sugarcane and a variety of beans and spices are Madagascar’s main exports and foreign currency earners. Recently clothes manufacturing, tourism and other industries have grown in importance. Madagascar’s economy is roughly worth $20 billion which is comparable to Mozambique, across the Indian Ocean on Africa’s east coast.

Madagascar discarded Socialist policies in the mid-1990s in favour of a more open approach designed by the IMF and the World Bank. The change of policies led to slow but steady economic growth although political turmoil regularly punctured this trend. In 2002, GDP dropped 12 percent after months of sporadic violence followed a disputed election.

History

Most archaeologists believe that people from Southeast Asia first settled on Madagascar around 2,000 years ago and that shortly afterwards people from Africa also crossed over to the island. Over the next centuries Arab traders and traders from east Africa used Madagascar as a base on route to and from their markets. Around this time independent chiefs began to control large areas of the island.

Portuguese sailors and traders discovered Madagascar in the 16^th century and also used it as a trading post to and from India. Relations with Europeans swung between good and bad and on the basis of restoring property stolen from its citizens, France first invaded Madagascar in 1883 and again in 1895. It eventually annexed Madagascar in 1896.

In World War II, some senior Nazis for a time suggested that Jews in Europe should be deported to Madagascar but the plan was abandoned.

After World War II relations between the Malagasy and the French colonialists became increasingly strained and numerous uprisings were put down with force. Eventually in 1958, Madagascar became an autonomous state within a France-led union of its colonial subjects. In 1960, Madagascar gained full independence.

Since independence Madagascar has been politically unstable with numerous bouts of violence and a number of coups.

Legal snapshot

The United States-based Freedom House says that Madagascar’s legal system is riddled with corruption. It is weak, poorly staffed and susceptible to political pressure.

The legal system is based on French Civil Law with an element of traditional Malagasy law. Madagascar has both a Supreme Court and a High Constitutional Court. Western observers have criticised the judiciary in Madagascar for not declaring Rajoelina’s power grab unconstitutional. In rural areas, traditional courts often hand out judgements and punishments such as flogging.

Madagascar accepts the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice with some reservations.