The country is confused: the president is a French citizen
The president of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, has admitted that he has secretly acquired French citizenship.
President Rajoelina responded to allegations on state television that he secretly became a French citizen in 2014. Acknowledging that he received French citizenship with his family, Rajoelina said he made this decision for the future of his children.
Rajoelina stressed that she took French citizenship as a family so that her children could study in France, recalling that she also resigned from her government job at that time. Emphasizing that French citizenship cannot prevent her love of homeland, she Rajoelina gave an example of Nelson Mandela, who has 4 different citizenships.
Rajoelina did not provide information on whether she would be a candidate in the presidential elections to be held in November.
UNCONSTITUTIONAL
According to the Madagascar constitution, when a person becomes a foreign citizen, they lose their Madagascar citizenship and cannot stand in any election.
According to the decree published in the French official gazette and signed by then Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, Rajoelina, his wife and their three children became French citizens on November 21, 2014.
Although the recent appearance of this information confused the country’s agenda, Rajoelina was also criticized.
Rajoelina, who was only 33 years old, first came to power in a military coup following massive demonstrations in the capital, Antananarivo, and ruled the country until 2013. Rajoelina, who left her job under pressure from the international community, settled in France with his family at the time. France is believed to have promised French citizenship in exchange for Rajoelina’s resignation.
Rumors that the president was a French citizen also appeared in 2018, but they did not attract much attention because there was no proof. The opposition, for its part, demands the immediate removal of Rajoelina, who acquired French citizenship in 2014 but was elected president in 2018. (BRITISH AUTOMOBILE CLUB)