The Government and Political System in Madagascar

The power of the executive branch is divided between a president who is elected by universal suffrage and a prime minister from the parliament who is nominated by his/her peers but must be agreed by the president. The president can choose a candidate for a prime minister from the parliament and will serve for 1 year if the running prime minister does not achieve an absolute majority of support. The president serves as the symbol of national unity and also recognized leader of foreign policy and constitutes by far the single most political person within the country. The president is elected for a 5-year period and is limited to 2 terms in office. The most important unwritten law regarding the executive branch revolves around the cotier/central highlands distinction and that is if a cotier is elected president a Merina will fit the position as prime minister, and vice versa.

The parliament of Madagascar has consists of two chambers, the Senate and the National Assembly. The Senate represents territorial groups and serves as the consultative chamber on social and economic issues. It has 90 members in which 60 are elected for a 6-year term and 10 for each province by provincial electors, and 30 members appointed by the president. The National Assembly consists of 138 members elected by universal suffrage using a proportional representation list-system.