Madagascar’s President Puts the Form of Government in the Fifth Republic to a Public Referendum

Sudanhorizon – Ali Al-Basir
The President of Madagascar, Colonel Michael Randrianireina, announced that the question of determining the form of government within the framework of the Fifth Republic project will be put to a public referendum. Citizens will choose between maintaining a unitary state with expanded decentralization or adopting a federal system. This move is part of a package of political and constitutional reforms launched by the transitional authorities to reshape the country’s political system.
During his address to the National Youth Consultation Program held at the Ivato International Conference Center, the President explained that the government deliberately left this sensitive issue to the will of the people. He emphasized that the ongoing national dialogue aims to reach a broad consensus on the future of the country before submitting the draft constitution to a public referendum.
He added that the proposal will be included in the comprehensive national consultation process, indicating that citizens will approve, through voting, the constitution that will establish the Fifth Republic. They will also subsequently choose the country’s leadership according to the new constitutional system. He called for directing discussions toward technical and constitutional foundations based on national considerations, far removed from political wrangling.
The President indicated that the available options consist of two main models: first, a unitary state with a broadly decentralized system based on a tripartite parliamentary system, granting local authorities wider powers while preserving the unity of the state; and second, a federal state based on a balanced distribution of powers between the federal government and the federal provinces, thus strengthening the autonomy of the regions within the framework of a single state. He also announced the formation of a specialized technical committee tasked with preparing and drafting the necessary constitutional texts, based on the outcomes of the national dialogue and the results of the discussions held at the Constitutional Dialogue Center, in preparation for submitting them to a public referendum.
Observers believe that putting the form of government to a referendum reflects a significant shift in Madagascar’s political reform process. It represents the first attempt to initiate a national debate on restructuring the state and the powers of the regions within an institutional framework. While it lends broad popular legitimacy to constitutional reforms, it also presents political and legal challenges, particularly if divisions emerge between supporters of a unitary state and those advocating for a federal system.
The success of this process largely hinges on the authorities’ ability to manage a comprehensive national dialogue, ensure the integrity of the referendum, and reach a consensus that minimizes the potential for political polarization during the transition to the Fifth Republic.

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