The Chairperson of the Commission hopes that the personalities whose candidacies have been eliminated will accept the decision of the CES. The Malagasy people, who have suffered so much throughout all these years of crisis, and Madagascar’s partners look forward to the invaluable contribution of all the Malagasy stakeholders towards creating favorable conditions for the early holding of the presidential election, thus placing the higher interest of their country above any other consideration. The Chairperson of the Commission urges the personalities concerned to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the current legislation to nominate new candidates to represent their respective political camps, so that political pluralism is ensured for the free choice of the Malagasy people.

It should be recalled that, as part of the follow-up to the Conclusions of the ICG-M meeting of 26 June 2013, a delegation led by the Chairperson of the Group, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ramtane Lamamra, and the SADC Mediator in the Malagasy crisis, former President Joachim Chissano of Mozambique, and comprising the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Dr. Aisha Abdullahi, as well as representatives of the international community, visited Antananarivo from 9 to 13 July 2013. Former President Chissano and Commissioner Lamamra visited Madagascar again on 1 and 2 August 2013, to engage the Malagasy parties on the legal and practical measures to be taken for the conduct of elections in accordance with the Roadmap for a way out of the crisis and the Malagasy Electoral Code.