Addis Ababa, 17 June 2015: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, is closely monitoring the evolution of the situation in Madagascar, after the decision issued, on 12 June 2015, by the High Constitutional Court (HCC), following the resolution for the impeachment of the President of the Republic, filed on 27 May 2015 by the Malagasy National Assembly.

The Chairperson of the Commission recalls that at the AU Summit which ended in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 15 June 2015, the Heads of State and Government, having reaffirmed their support for the efforts towards stabilization and socio-economic recovery in Madagascar, requested all the Malagasy political stakeholders to respect the decision of the HCC and to work toward the creation of the climate of stability necessary for Madagascar to continue to benefit from international support. The Summit also called on the Malagasy political stakeholders to exercise restraint, in order to allow the proper functioning of the institutions of the country.

The Chairperson of the Commission echoes the appeal of the Summit and the statement made, on 13 June 2015, by the International Support Group for Madagascar (GIS-M), chaired by the AU. She urges the Malagasy political stakeholders to demonstrate a high sense of responsibility and to spare their country a new cycle of instability, which could only complicate the mobilization of the support that Madagascar needs for its socio-economic recovery, after several years of crisis. She emphasizes the imperative of stability and of the proper functioning of the Malagasy institutions, as well as the duty of all Malagasy actors to contribute to the consolidation of the gains made within the framework of the crisis exit process in their country. In this regard, she reiterates the AU’s support to the Malagasy institutions and people.