Written question asked by Emily Thornberry (Labour) on Wednesday, 25 April 2018, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 27 April 2018. It was answered by Boris Johnson (Conservative) on Thursday, 3 May 2018 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Madagascar: Politics and Government

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Madagascar on the police response to protests held by opposition activists in Antananarivo on 21 April 2018.

Answer: In response to the events of 21 April in Antananarivo, the UK, France, Germany and the EU issued a joint public statement on 22 April. This condemned the violence and called on all political actors to act responsibly. It also called for the rights of freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly to be respected. Our Ambassador in Madagascar, along with other international partners, have made representations at the highest level regarding this, as well as for the constitutionality of the electoral process to be respected, and for the elections themselves to be conducted in a free, fair, transparent and inclusive manner. The UK will work closely with SADC and other international partners on the ground in Antananarivo to support dialogue and a peaceful resolution to the current political tensions. The first round of dialogue took place on 25 April in advance of the deployment of envoys from SADC, the AU and the UN. During SADC’s most recent visit to Antananarivo on 3 April, their delegation met with our Ambassador and with the key Malagasy political actors, and stressed the importance of stability in the run-up to elections.

Secondary information