Wed, March 18, 2009
Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana stepped down on Tuesday after a power struggle with the opposition that caused weeks of turmoil and protests, crippled the $390 million-a-year tourism industry, and worried foreign investors.
Below is a timeline of recent events in the political crisis:
Jan 27 - Opposition leader Andry Rajoelina calls for more anti-government protests after the worst day of street violence for years.
Feb 3 - The government fire Rajoelina from his post as mayor of the capital city.
Feb 7 - Security forces kill at least 25 people when they open fire on an anti-government protest outside the presidential palace. Two weeks of civil unrest had killed some 125 people.
Feb 21 - Rajoelina meets President Ravalomanana for talks to resolve the power struggle.
Feb 25 - Rajoelina pulls out of the talks after Ravalomanana fails to attend what would have been the fourth round of discussions to end weeks of civil unrest.
March 8 - Mutiny breaks out in a military camp outside Antananarivo as Rajoelina spends a second day in hiding after a crackdown on his anti-government movement.
March 13 - Dissident soldiers say they have deployed tanks in the capital and that they would use them to fight any hired mercenaries.
March 14 - Opposition leader Rajoelina emerges from hiding to tell thousands of his supporters he was giving Ravalomanana four hours to step down.
March 15 - Ravalomanana offers a referendum as a possible way out of the political standoff.
March 16 - Soldiers seize a presidential palace and the central bank in a show of force further isolating Ravalomanana.
March 17 - An aide to Ravalomanana says the Indian Ocean island's leader had handed power to the military.
Opposition officials says Rajoelina would lead a transitional authority with plans to organise elections within 24 months and re-write the constitution.
The African Union, which had rejected any unconstitutional change of power, says the military should not hand over to Rajoelina.
(Agencies)
