GABORONE - SADC, which is currently chaired by Namibian President, Hage Geingob, yesterday welcomed the publication of provisional results that were released by Madagascar’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) last week, following the first round of voting in the 2018 presidential election held on 7 November in the island nation.

SADC Executive Secretary, Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax, yesterday commended CENI, the Madagascar electoral body, for releasing the provisional results, and for the work the commission has done so far. 

She further congratulated the Malagasy people and all political stakeholders for conducting themselves in an orderly and peaceful manner before, during, and after the first round of voting in the Presidential Election. 

As Madagascar prepares for the second round of voting in the Presidential Election scheduled for the 19th December, 2018, Lawrence Tax appealed to political stakeholders and all Malagasy people to ensure that the same peaceful atmosphere that was experienced in the first round of voting should prevail, so that people can exercise their democratic right to freely choose their leaders.

 “We would like to express our sincere gratitude and commend the SADC Special Envoy to Madagascar, His Excellency Joaquim Chissano, Former President of Mozambique, for his exemplary leadership, commitment and continued effort, and working alongside various stakeholders to find long lasting solutions to the political challenges in Madagascar”, she said. 
SADC reiterated its unwavering commitment to support the electoral process in Madagascar, guided by the revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2015). 

Beyond these elections, Lawrence Tax said SADC stands ready to work with the Malagasy people with an ultimate aim of securing long term political stability and sustainable development in Madagascar.