Earlier in the month, army chief of staff General Andre Ndriarijaona announced that the military authorities had asked the leaders of the transition "to publish a clear and verifiable roadmap". They also called on opposition politicians to collaborate with authorities during this time frame.
General Ndriarijaona explained the action by the military and police as one in sympathy with "the suffering of the people". "(This is why) we have established a framework for finding a solution for rescuing the country from this deep crisis," he says. The military did not say what would happen should the deadline expire without an agreement, but some observers fear that the army will seize power.
A meeting in South Africa between the president of the Transitional Authority (HAT, after its French acronym) Andry Rajoelina and the man he deposed, Marc Ravalomanana, was scheduled for Apr. 25, but then postponed. Rajoelina and Ravalomanana are now expected to meet on Apr. 28, with South African president Jacob Zuma and former presidents
Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy in Pretoria.
In an Apr. 14 statement, Rajoelina said that "the resolutions adopted at the meeting in South Africa will be presented to the armed forces at the end of April." Though acknowledging the threat of a coup, the president of the HAT was confident that a military take-over is not imminent. "The Malagasy military is very clear-headed… The country has not yet reached the point where the only avenue left is for armed forces to take power," he says.
An indication of the prevailing uncertainty came four days later with news of the arrest of several people – reported variously as seven or 19 – in connection with an alleged plot to attack the prime minister.
Source: Allafrica
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