OUSTED Madagascar leader Marc Ravalomanana has rejected sharing power with the new army-backed president in a move likely to entrench the deadlock between the two camps.
Tensions have heightened this week on the Indian Ocean island as pro-Ravalomanana supporters defied a government ban on public protests and continued their attempts to hold near-daily gatherings in the capital Antananarivo.
"They broke the law and carried out a coup d’etat that was condemned by the entire international community," Reuters quoted Ravalomanana as saying in a statement late on Wednesday.
Last week, he said that he was open to sharing power with Andry Rajoelina, Africa’s youngest president, who has accused Ravalomanana of being a dictator.
Analysts say Ravalomanana’s statement deepens the impasse as the international community seeks a constitutional way out of the crisis, which saw 135 people killed in clashes from January to March and hit the $390 million-a-year tourism sector.
"A power sharing deal seems the only way of the crisis, but the question is whether power will be shared by Ravalomanana and Rajoelina," said Edward George of London’s Economist Intelligence Unit.
George said that the shift in position could reflect a sense of growing international support or a change in mood at home.
Security forces fired tear gas and warning shots yesterday to disperse a gathering crowd of Ravalomanana followers, sending people running through the streets.
This week, two people were killed in the capital when security forces and anti-government demonstrators clashed, igniting fears of a return to violence on island.
Ravalomanana, who insists he remains the legal head of state despite stepping aside last month, said he would work with all legitimate parties to haul the island out of the crisis.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC), African Union (AU) and France, Madagascar’s former colonial ruler, have all branded Rajoelina’s takeover a coup.
Ravalomanana says he will return to Madagascar in the coming weeks – a move which risks stoking political frictions and inciting further violence, experts say.
Currently in exile in southern Africa, Ravalomanana has been on the road to drum up support from regional leaders – including Swaziland, South Africa and Botswana.
Rajoelina’s government says elections will be held in October 2010 once a new electoral code and constitution are drawn up. The international community says that is too late.