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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, March 01, 2002
Self-Proclaimed Madagascar President Unveils His Government
Marc Ravalomanana, who declared himself president of Madagascar one week ago, unveiled his own government on Friday morning.
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Marc Ravalomanana, who declared himself president of Madagascar one week ago, unveiled his own government on Friday morning.
The new government has been nominated by "a presidential decree" and "in accordance with the Constitution," declared Ravalomananaat the city hall of Antananarivo, of which he was the mayor.
He named 16 ministers and one secretary of state, most of whom are new faces on Madagascar's political stage. He did not name theforeign and defense ministers.
On Tuesday, Ravalomanana named Jacques Sylla his prime ministerto head the government. Sylla was foreign minister working under former President Albert Zafy in the early 1990s.
The incumbent President Didier Ratisiraka announced "state of emergency" across the country after Ravalomanana's self-proclamation last Friday.
On Wednesday, street clashes flared out between supporters of the two camps and the police ordered a curfew in the capital.
On Thursday, Ratisiraka ordered martial law in the capital, transferring "all power held by the president of the Republic" to the "military governor of the city of Tananarive" -- a temporary post he just created.
General Leon-Claude Raveloarison, who was nominated to this post, said his priority is to help restart the negotiations and that his troops will not fire at demonstrators.
Ravalomanana declared himself president last Friday following the failure of negotiations chaired by the Organization of the African Unity over the disputed election result that pit him against Ratisiraka.
Ravalomanana claimed that he won outright in December's first round of presidential elections while Ratisiraka said neither got a majority. The High Constitutional Court ordered a second round on March 24, which Ravalomanana categorically rejected.
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