October 4456Tsitohery loses Alliance leadershipPrime Minister Tombovelo Tsitohery has failed in his attempt to hold on to the leadership of the
Alliance for Progress. At a specially-convened Alliance conference in Renivohitra, he received the votes of 2137 delegates, as against 2863 for his challenger, Masoandro Androkae.
Despite his humiliation, after the vote was announced, Tsitohery and Androkae appeared on the stage together to put on a show of unity, clasping each others hands and embracing. They agreed that Tsitohery would continue as Prime Minister, but the organisation of the party itself would now be in the hands of Androkae.
In his concession speech, Tsitohery tried to paint his defeat as "something that I now believe will strengthen the Alliance", arguing:
Before I became a politician, I was a trade unionist, and as a trade union leader, I knew I was in a strong position when I could go into a meeting with the management and tell them, clearly and undeniably, "My members will not stand for this!" Well, that is the position we are in now. I am going to come away from this conference, and I am going to go to the Canrillaise (OOC: French) oligarchs, and I am going to tell them: "My party will no longer tolerate this slow pace of progress towards Malgy (OOC: Madagascan) emancipation". [Audience claps]
Malgy Majority Rule "absolutely not an option", declares King NorbertAndrokae's victory has sent shockwaves through the Canrillaise establishment, which is increasingly nervous about growing Malgy demands for more far-reaching concessions. King Norbert appeared on national television last night to deliver a short speech, promising "my government will listen to Malgy concerns and continue with our program of Malgy advancement" but insisting "Malgy Majority Rule is absolutely not an option and nobody, either here in Noumonde or abroad, should be in any doubt about that". The latter comment was almost certainly directed at nations such as
Kanjor and
Kazulia, which have joined in the recent campaign for "Full Democracy" in Noumonde.
Next National Party leader "must represent traditional National Party values", says Count BeamontAmidst
heightening speculation that Louis Poullain is soon to retire as National Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Count Jean-Claude Beaumont, himself a former Prime Minister, has warned in a radio interview that the next National Party leader "must represent traditional National Party values, or I just really don't think the party will accept it".
It is highly unusual for National Party politicians, particularly senior ones, to comment in public on who should be National Party leader. By convention, the National Party leader is not directly elected through any formal process, but "emerges" following consultations between the monarch and what is know as "the secret circle" - the political oligarchs of the National Party and the establishment - meaning in particular, senior figures within the civil service and the army. The fact that so senior a figure in the party has commented on the question of the succession is an indication of how intense the behind-the-scenes political struggle is between the two leading candidates, Leon Cormier, the Minister of Education, who is seen as the modernising reformer, and Count Henri Beaumanoir, the Minister of Defence, who is seen as the somewhat reactionary traditionalist.
Plague outbreak contained, but border closure hurts economyHealth Minister Marie Mahefarinoro has publicly thanked Kazulia's Public Health Protection Agency and United Development Assistance Programme
for their assistance in helping to halt the recent plague outbreak in the eastern part of the country. There are now believed to be no more cases, although the authorities are still on high alert.
However, the panic and disruption caused by the outbreak has caused significant harm to the economy, particularly with
New Alduria's decision to seal their border with Noumonde. Noumon diplomats are now attempting to persuade New Alduria to reopen the border again, although most commentators believe New Alduria is unlikely to agree to this until their officials are well and truly satisfied the plague has been eradicated.