Hippolite Rarison Ramaroson (born 28 September 1951) is a Malagasy vice admiral and politician. During the

2009 Malagasy political crisis The 2009 Malagasy political crisis began on 26 January 2009 with the political opposition movement led by Antananarivo mayor Andry Rajoelina, which sought to oust President Marc Ravalomanana from the presidency. The crisis reached its climax in t ...

, after President Marc Ravalomanana stepped down, he became acting President of Madagascar for several hours on 17 March 2009, before transferring power to Andry Rajoelina. He went on to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs and one of three Vice Prime Ministers in the

High Transitional Authority The High Transitional Authority ( Malagasy: ''Fitondrana Avon'ny Tetezamita'' (FAT); french: Haute autorité de transition or HAT) was a provisional executive body that came to power in Madagascar following the coup that forced Marc Ravalomanana t ...

from 2010 to 2011.

Early life

Ramaroson was born on 28 September 1951 in Tananarive (Antananarivo), then the capital of

French Madagascar The Colony of Madagascar and Dependencies (french: Colonie de Madagascar et dépendances) was a French colony off the coast of Southeast Africa between 1897 and 1958 in what is now Madagascar. The colony was formerly a protectorate of France kn ...

Career

Ramaroson joined the Military of Madagascar, enlisting in the Aeronaval Force, which includes both Madagascar's navy and air force. He rose to the rank of vice admiral.

President of Madagascar

On 17 March 2009, after months of intense protests, President Marc Ravalomanana resigned. He left a signed note in which he assigned power to Ramaroson as president of the new "military directorate." As a result, Ramaroson was President of Madagascar for a few hours on that day. The military leadership called Ravalomanana's action a "ploy" and supported opposition leader Andry Rajoelina. In a ceremony broadcast from a military camp in Antananarivo, Ramaroson and two generals announced that they were ending the military directorate and installing Rajoeline in power. He said in the video, "We have categorically rejected the ilitaryauthority that Ravalomanana asked us to set up after his resignation."

Later career

On 24 February 2010, Ramaroson was appointed Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs by President Rajoelina. He took possession of his offices the next morning, 25 February. He succeeded Ny Hasina Andriamanjato, who resigned earlier that month because he was "convince there would be no international recognition of Rajoelina unless he formed a unity government before elections. He became foreign minister at a time when foreign nations were concerned with the new administration's legitimacy and commitment to democracy, and the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

's threat of sanctions should a power-sharing agreement not be in force by mid-March. Ramaroson told Reuters on the day of his appointment, "My principal mission is to explain to the international community what really happened in Madagascar. I will also talk to our ambassadors so they work for the country." The ''

Madagascar Tribune The ''Madagascar Tribune'' is a daily newspaper published in Antananarivo, Madagascar. It is primarily in French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originate ...

'' noted that Ramaroson caused some embarrassment for the president when he announced his appointment as deputy prime minister and foreign minister to the press before the High Transitional Authority had even done so. In addition, the ''Tribune'' speculated that Ramaroson's status as a vice admiral in the armed forces could be a source of embarrassment, given that he, as Deputy Prime Minister, outranked Prime Minister Albert Camille Vital, a colonel. At the United Nations General Assembly in 2010, Madagascar was the only country not to make an address. The reason cited were the events of the 2009 General Assembly, in which a majority of African countries voted to prevent President Rajoelina from speaking. Ramaroson explained to Reuters, "We didn't want a repeat of that... It's not worth squabbling in this General Assembly. That's why we decided not to speak... No one told us to pull out." Ramaroson stepped down as Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in March 2011.

Personal life

Ramaroson is married to Joelle Jacky Rajao. They have three children, Hary, Tantely, and Geraldine.

References