The municipalities, symbol of a fragile democracy

In the 90s, communes were seen as a symbol of Madagascar's desire to move towards real democracy. Indeed, mayors are local elected representatives elected by universal suffrage. Madagascar's donors and partners suggested that giving more support to commune initiatives could help strengthen this nascent democracy.

Some mayors have successfully implemented projects financed by EDF Programmes implemented by the Cellule d'Opération de l'Union Européenne. In some cases, the Cellule d'Opération has also integrated the fokontany. These are the natural core of Malagasy society, especially in rural areas.

However, certain challenges had to be considered.

A mayor can find himself in a minority position with his municipal council. For example, a person with a strong desire to act on behalf of his or her municipality and with ideas for social projects may be elected for his or her reputation or patronymic but has no political base and finds himself or herself facing a municipal council dominated by a political party that does not necessarily share his or her vision of things.

Another example is that of a person elected mayor but whose party is not an ally of the government. This mayor must deal with situations that resemble blockages on the part of the administrative hierarchy. Similarly, there may be influencers who make the population believe that it is preferable to elect a mayor from a pro-government party to benefit from government subsidies.

It's not uncommon to see mayors, especially those elected under the "independent" banner, being pressured to join the government party.

In 2023, a mayor, although elected, remains under the control of appointed civil servants, at the behest of the powers that be. There have been many instances of the latter unilaterally overturning municipal decisions, even though these have been approved by the municipal council.

Sometimes, too, the transition between two municipal teams can pose a problem. On one occasion, the mayor of an urban commune obtained EDF funding for his project. Unfortunately, he died shortly after signing the financing agreement. His successor's team didn't want to continue implementation because the project had been initiated by a person who wasn't on the same political side. Fortunately, the Cellule d'Opération succeeded in resolving the problem after taking advice from a person familiar with Malagasy administrative procedures.