Draft legislation in Madagascar banning convicted criminals from standing in elections could prevent exiled former president Marc Ravalomanana from making a comeback in next year’s presidential poll. In a copy of the document obtained by AFP, candidates “convicted of crimes or offences” will not be able to stand in elections. The text stipulates that “individuals who are convicted and not pardoned are neither eligible as candidates nor can vote”, thereby excluding Ravalomanana who faces life in prison in Madagascar.
The ex-president was sentenced in absentia in 2010 for the murders of about 30 protesters killed by his presidential guard in 2009 in protests that led to his overthrow by Andry Rajoelina in an army-backed coup. Ravalomanana subsequently fled to South Africa where he has lived in exile ever since. However, the guilty verdict could be rendered invalid as the court that sentenced him was not senior enough to judge a president, according to the rules of Madagascar’s constitution.
Full Article: Election law could block Ravalomanana | News24.
