According to local legend, the island was first inhabited by the Vazimba, a race of white pygmies. These people, if they existed, were displaced by successive waves of Polynesian migrants from the Malayo-Indonesian archipelago, from as early as the sixth century AD. In the ninth century, Madagascar was a major trading power in the western Indian Ocean. Moreover, ancient ruins indicate an extensive Arab presence on the island around that time. Bantu tribes from mainland Africa later settled on the west coast. The first Europeans arrived in the mid-17th century. Several French settlements were established
on the south-east coast but were destroyed within 30 years.
At the time, Madagascar supported several kingdoms along its coastline and, in the central highlands, the kingdom of the Merina, which was the dominant ethnic group. From their fortress city of Antananarivo, the 19th-century kings gradually conquered the coastal kingdoms and by 1830 most of the island was under unified Merina control. The success of the Merina was partly due to a well-worked strategy of playing off rival European colonists against each other: in particular, the British and the French. However, the UK – with copious commitments elsewhere – was content by the end of the 19th century to leave the southern Indian Ocean to the French. Without a counter-balancing power, Madagascar was vulnerable to French takeover, which duly occurred in 1896 when the Merina kingdom was overthrown by a French military force.
The French introduced cash crops to their new colony. In 1948, the Malagasy people sought to re-establish their independence through armed insurrection. They were unsuccessful, but the uprising paved the way for independence, which came in 1960. Philibert Tsirana’s PSD Party ruled with the support of France and the people of the coastal regions until 1972, when highland agitation against French influence prompted the Army Chief of Staff, Major-General Ramanantsoa, to assume executive power for the purpose of pursuing a more nationalistic policy. Three years later the military government resigned after selecting Lt-Commander Didier Ratsiraka as head of state.
A gradual civilianization of the Government culminated in 1977 in elections to the National People’s Assembly, which were won by the sole legal party,
Avant-garde de la Révolution Malgache (AREMA). Other political groupings have since emerged, but an equally important factor in the island’s politics is the historic rivalry between the highland and lowland (coastal) clans. This was illustrated by the 1989 dispute over a new appointment to the post of prime minister. When a highlander and ethnic Merina, Colonel Ramahatra, was announced, the lowland opposition groups – ranging from Christian Democrats to old-style Maoists – put aside their differences to campaign, albeit unsuccessfully, against the appointment. President Ratsiraka, who was re-elected in 1983, was allied to neither camp. He had enjoyed the consistent support of the French since they managed to persuade him to drop his initial attachment to Marxism in the 1970s. Ratsiraka remained in power, amid occasional bouts of civil unrest, for the next 10 years.
In 1992, under intense domestic and international pressure, Ratsiraka conceded the introduction of a genuinely democratic constitution. The first presidential poll under the new system, held in 1993, saw Ratsiraka defeated by Albert Zafy. Three years later, however, Ratsiraka recovered the office and held on to it until 2001. The old highland/lowland rivalry which previously characterized the country’s politics had by now evolved into an urban/rural split. This emerged at the 2001 election. This time Ratsiraka’s opponent was a businessman, Marc Ravalomanana, who drew his main support from urban areas. There was no question that Ravalomanana topped the first round of polling: in dispute was whether or not he had reached the 50 per cent threshold required to claim victory without a second-round run-off (which would have been against Ratsiraka).
Both sides mobilized their supporters and a bizarre but violent stand-off followed: the capital was effectively cut off from the rest of the country; roads and bridges were destroyed and suppliers of food and essential goods were unable or unwilling to sell their goods in the capital. With both sides spurning mediation, the outcome depended upon who gained the support of the army. Most senior officers sided with Ravalomanana and, by July 2002, he had secured control over the whole country. Ratsiraka went into exile and was later convicted in his absence of embezzlement. The crisis left Madagascar in a fragile political and economic condition; the country’s difficulties have since been compounded by severe drought, especially in the southern part of the island.
GovernmentUnder the terms of a new constitution adopted by popular referendum in August 1992, legislative power resides in a bicameral legislature, comprising a partially-elected Senate and fully-elected National Assembly, each of which has a four-year term. A Council of Ministers is appointed by the Prime Minister. The President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President from a list of candidates nominated by the National Assembly. Executive power rests with the prime minister.
EconomyMadagascar’s mainly agricultural economy relies heavily on coffee production to earn foreign exchange, and this has suffered lately from a decline in world demand and prices. Rice and cassava are produced primarily for domestic staple consumption. Fishing is underdeveloped thus far: the government, which still exercises extensive control over the economy, is hoping to improve its performance.
The country has appreciable mineral deposits of chromium ore, bauxite and titanium ore, all of which are being exploited. The recent discovery of oil deposits is set to bring about further development as well as hopefully resolve Madagascar’s energy problems. 15% of GDP derives from the manufacturing industry, mainly textiles and food processing.
The service sector is relatively underdeveloped at present. The government has been looking at ways of developing the tourism industry, and has focused on the island’s abundance of exotic wildlife as a major attraction.
Although the Madagascan economy has considerable potential, there are major problems to overcome. There is little that can be done about the climate; Madagascar suffers from frequent cyclones which have done severe damage to agriculture, especially in the last few years. More seriously, political instability afflicted Madagascar throughout 2002 and threatened to undermine the economy.
The economy grew by 4.7% in 2006. The country continues to rely heavily on loans and grants from the EU (especially France) and the World Bank: these were among a consortium of donors which in July 2002 agreed a major aid package worth US$2.3 billion over four years. France accounts for about 30% of all Madagascar’s trade.
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