The new constitution launched the Fourth Republic of Madagascar and was widely seen as an attempt to consolidate and legitimise the rule of Andry Rajoelina and his High Transitional Authority government which was installed after a military-backed coup d'état against President Marc Ravalomanana at the beginning of the ongoing national political crisis.
This made Andry Rajoelina, who is 36 and is the President of the country's High Transitional Authority, eligible to stand in presidential elections.
On this date, the people overwhelmingly approved a new constitution consisting of 149 articles that provided for the separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government; the creation of a multiparty political system; and the protection of individual human rights and freedom of speech.
All presidential decrees must be countersigned, however, and the president is bound by the constitutional reality that the prime minister is responsible for the functioning of the government.
If a côtier is elected president, it is understood that a Merina will fill the position of prime minister, and vice versa.
The parliament as a whole operates with a variety of classic parliamentary measures, such as the possibility of a vote of no confidence, that enable it to serve as a check on the power of the executive.
Indeed, the constitution explicitly outlines the fundamental rights of individual citizens and groups (most notably freedom of speech) and guarantees the existence of an independent press free from government control or censorship.