05 Sep 2009
A call by Madagascar's head of the transitional government Andry Rajoelina for a 'consensus government' falls flat due to refusal from main opposition movements.

On Friday, the leader of the island's March coup dismissed arguments against his choice of prime minister, Monja Roindefo, and offered the opposition -- led by three former heads of state -- to form a 'consensus government' within 72 hours.

The three opposition groups on Saturday rejected the transitional authority's attempt to keep both posts of president and prime minister, saying they would not give their confidence to a cabinet set up by Rajoelina's camp.

They accused the coup leaders of a breach of a power-sharing deal inked by ousted president Marc Ravalomanana, Rajoelina, and ex-presidents Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy in August in regionally-brokered talks in Maputo, Mozambique.

Under the deal, rival political parties should have agreed to form a transitional government with the presidential elections scheduled to take place in 2010. The deal also stipulated that, for the power-sharing transition period, the president and prime minister should be decided by consensus.

The Maputo talks, however, stopped short of an agreement on the key transitional posts of president, vice president and prime minister. Ravalomanana is also totally rejecting the motion to keep Rajoelina as head of the transition.

Rajoelina, who is constitutionally too young for the presidency, says he has plans to call for constitutional amendments that would allow him to run in the upcoming election.

The 35-year-old ex-mayor of the capital city, Antananarivo, has been seeking the presidency ever since he overthrew Ravalomanana following a series of deadly protests starting in late January that resulted into a military-backed coup in March.

presstv