Hery Rajaonarimampianina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Hery Rajaonarimampianina
Rajaonarimampianina in 2014
7th President of Madagascar
In office 25 January 2014 – 7 September 2018
Prime Minister	Omer Beriziky Roger Kolo Jean Ravelonarivo Olivier Solonandrasana Christian Ntsay
Preceded by	Andry Rajoelina
Succeeded by	Rivo Rakotovao (acting)
Personal details
Born	Hery Martial Rajaonarimampianina Rakotoarimanana (1958-11-06) 6 November 1958 (age 66) Antananarivo, Malagasy Republic
Political party	Hery Vaovao ho an'i Madagasikara
Spouse	Voahangy Rajaonarimampianina
Alma mater	University of Antananarivo University of Quebec, Trois-Rivieres
Website	Campaign website original link Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/heryvaovao/

Hery Martial Rajaonarimampianina Rakotoarimanana (born 6 November 1958) is a politician from Madagascar. He was the seventh President of Madagascar from 2014 to 2018. He stepped down from his role to run for president again.

Before becoming president, he was the Minister of Finance. He served under President Andry Rajoelina. In the 2013 presidential election, he was the candidate for Rajoelina's political group. He won the election in the second round. He beat Jean-Louis Robinson, who was supported by Marc Ravalomanana's party. When he became president, Hery Rajaonarimampianina had the longest name for a head of state in the world. His full name has 44 characters. His family name alone has 19 characters.

Early Life and Education

Hery Rajaonarimampianina grew up in a regular family. He lived in Sabotsy Namehana, a part of Antananarivo, Madagascar. In 1982, he earned a business degree from a university in Antananarivo.

After that, he went to Canada to study finance and accounting. He received a special diploma in accounting science in 1986. In 1991, he also earned a Canadian accounting diploma.

Career as an Accountant

In 1991, Rajaonarimampianina returned to Madagascar. He started working as an accountant. He also became a director at a business school in Antananarivo. He taught at the Antananarivo University as well. He also taught at a business institute in France.

In 1995, Rajaonarimampianina started his own accounting company. It was called Auditeurs Associes – C.G.A. His company had 50 partners and worked all over Madagascar. They helped both local and international businesses. They also helped groups with projects that received money from international organizations.

In 2003, he was chosen to lead the Professional Order of Chartered Accountants in Madagascar. He also became the Vice-President of the Superior Accounting Council. He was also an advisor to a committee that worked to protect honesty and fairness.

Political Journey

In 2009, Rajaonarimampianina became the Minister of Finance and Budget. This was a challenging time for Madagascar. Many international groups had stopped giving money to the country since 2008.

Running for President in 2013

In 2013, Rajaonarimampianina started a political group called "Hery Vaovao hoan'i Madagasikara." This means "New Forces for Madagascar." He decided to run for president. There were 32 other people running against him.

Some of his main opponents were Andry Nirina Rajoelina's party. Also, Jean-Louis Robinson, who was supported by former president Marc Ravalomanana, was a strong opponent. Two former Prime Ministers also ran.

In the first round of voting, Rajaonarimampianina received 15.62% of the votes. He came in second place after Robinson. However, all the candidates who were against former President Ravalomanana's party together received 55% of the votes.

Before the second round, he brought together his party members and supporters. He gained support from Andry Rajoelina. Rajoelina was the current president of the temporary government. He could not run for president himself because he had not submitted his paperwork on time.

In the second round, Hery Rajaonarimampianina quickly took the lead. The election results were announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission. International observers said the election was "free, transparent, reliable, and credible."

Attempt to Remove the President

On May 26, 2015, the Parliament of Madagascar voted to try and remove the president from his job. They said he had broken some rules and was not doing his job well. However, the country's highest court did not allow this. The court said the accusations were not true and could not be accepted. So, he remained president.

Religion and Public Appearances

Some people have said that Rajaonarimampianina attended many church events. They felt this might go against Madagascar's rule that separates government and religion. However, it is not new for leaders in Madagascar to appear at religious events. Previous presidents, like Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina, also attended events of their own churches. They did this to connect with people and gain support.

Rajaonarimampianina mostly appeared at events for large religious groups in Madagascar. These included the Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar, the Malagasy Lutheran Church, and the Anglican Church. He focused on groups with many followers.

2018 Presidential Election

On September 8, 2018, Rajaonarimampianina officially stepped down from being president. He announced that he would run for president again in the 2018 election. According to Madagascar's rules, a president who wants to run for re-election must resign at least 60 days before the election. On his last day in office, Rajaonarimampianina appointed new army generals and new ambassadors to China and Russia.

See also

In Spanish: Hery Rajaonarimampianina para niños