Marc Ravalomanana facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Marc Ravalomanana
Ravalomanana in 2017

6th President of Madagascar
In office 5 July 2002 – 17 March 2009
Prime Minister	Tantely Andrianarivo Jacques Sylla Charles Rabemananjara
Preceded by	Didier Ratsiraka
Succeeded by	Hyppolite Ramaroson (acting)
48th Mayor of Antananarivo
In office 14 November 1999 – 6 May 2002
Preceded by	Guy Razanamasy
Succeeded by	Patrick Ramiaramanana

Personal details
Born	(1949-12-12) 12 December 1949 (age 75) Imerinkasinina, French Madagascar
Political party	TIM (I Love Madagascar)
Spouse	Lalao Ravalomanana (m. 1974)
Children	4

Marc Ravalomanana (born 12 December 1949) is a politician from Madagascar. He served as the country's sixth President from 2002 to 2009.

He grew up in a farming family near the capital city of Antananarivo. Ravalomanana first became well-known as the person who started and led a large dairy company called TIKO. He also started other successful businesses.

In 1999, he entered politics and became the mayor of Antananarivo. As mayor, he worked to make the city cleaner and safer. In 2001, he decided to run for president. He became president in 2002 after a disagreement about the election results.

During his time as president, Madagascar made good progress. The country's economy grew by about seven percent each year. His government built many new schools and health clinics. They also fixed roads, which helped farmers get their products to markets. A new agency was set up to fight corruption, and it helped reduce dishonesty in the government.

Later in his presidency, some people criticized Ravalomanana. They said he was becoming too controlling and mixing his private business with government work. Also, the country's growth did not help everyone equally, leading to more differences between rich and poor. In 2008, a land deal with a Korean company, buying an expensive presidential jet, and closing media channels owned by an opposition leader caused more public unhappiness.

This led to protests that started in January 2009. Two months later, Ravalomanana resigned under pressure. A new leader, Andry Rajoelina, took control with the help of the military. Many countries saw this change as a coup d'état, meaning it was not a legal transfer of power.

From 2009 to 2012, Ravalomanana lived outside Madagascar in South Africa. He worked with other leaders to plan new elections. In 2012, he decided not to run for president himself. He returned to Madagascar in 2014 but was arrested. He was later freed in 2015 and restarted his Tiko business. He also became the president of his political party, TIM.

Early Life

Marc Ravalomanana was born on 12 December 1949. He grew up in a village called Imerinkasinina, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Antananarivo. His parents were sellers who later opened a small shop in a village.

His family belongs to the Merina people, which is the largest ethnic group in Madagascar.

From age five, he went to a public primary school. He walked 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) every day to get there. He often sold watercress to train passengers on his way. He later attended a technical secondary school run by Swedish missionaries.

Starting a Business

After finishing school, Ravalomanana returned home. He and his family started making and selling homemade yogurt. He would collect milk from farmers in nearby towns using his bicycle. Slowly, his business grew. In 1977, he opened his first yogurt and cheese factory.

Ravalomanana got a loan from the World Bank for 1.5 million US dollars. In 1982, he used this money to start his company, Tiko. The loan had good conditions, which allowed him to sell his products at a lower price than other small dairy makers. This helped Tiko grow quickly. Investors from South Africa, Germany, and the United States also joined his company.

Tiko first made only dairy products. Then, it expanded to make fruit juices, ice cream, cooking oil, and fizzy drinks. The slogan for Tiko products was Vita Malagasy, which means "Made in Madagascar."

Ravalomanana worked to build good relationships with politicians. This helped Tiko grow even when the government made it hard for businesses. By 2001, Tiko had many warehouses across the country. This helped them sell products in both cities and rural areas.

At its peak, Tiko employed between 1,000 and 3,000 people directly and supported over 10,000 others indirectly. It was the biggest dairy producer in Madagascar. Tiko's success made Ravalomanana a very rich man.

Mayor of Antananarivo

In 1999, Ravalomanana decided to run for mayor of Antananarivo. He spent a lot of money on his campaign, which was unusual for a mayoral race in Madagascar.

He won the election with 45 percent of the votes. He was mayor from December 1999 until he became president in May 2002. As mayor, he improved the city's money management, water quality, and trash collection. Many people saw him as one of the most popular mayors in Antananarivo's history.

Becoming President

Presidential Election of 2001

Ravalomanana ran for president in the election held on 16 December 2001. His campaign focused on his image as a self-made businessman who could help the country grow. He was also seen as a fresh face, not connected to older politicians. Farmers in rural areas, who made up most of the population, supported him.

After the election, official results showed Ravalomanana in first place with 46 percent of the votes. This was not enough to win outright, so a second round of voting was needed. However, Ravalomanana claimed he had won a majority in the first round. After a recount, the High Constitutional Court agreed, saying he won 51.3 percent of the vote.

The old president, Didier Ratsiraka, and his supporters did not accept this decision. They blocked roads from the port city of Toamasina to Antananarivo. This led to months of fighting until Ratsiraka left the country in July 2002.

First Term as President

Ravalomanana and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

After becoming president, Ravalomanana worked to fix the economy, which had been hurt by the political problems. He introduced new laws and policies to encourage a market-based economy. He also built stronger relationships with countries like Germany, the United States, and South Korea, instead of relying mostly on France.

In 2004, the World Bank approved his plan to reduce poverty. He also tripled the amount of protected natural areas in Madagascar over five years. In 2004, he created an independent agency to fight corruption, which helped reduce dishonesty in the government. That same year, the International Monetary Fund agreed to forgive half of Madagascar's debt. In 2005, Madagascar was the first country to get help from a new development fund from the United States.

Because of these efforts, the economy grew by about seven percent each year during his presidency. His government paved hundreds of kilometers of roads in rural areas. They also made big improvements in education and health. Thousands of new primary schools were built, old buildings were fixed, and many new teachers were hired and trained. Primary school fees were removed, and students received basic school supplies.

Ravalomanana also remained active in his private businesses. His companies often won government contracts, which was legal but raised concerns about conflicts of interest. Critics said that the benefits of economic growth did not reach everyone, leading to higher living costs and more poverty for some. They also said he made decisions on his own without listening to others.

In November 2006, there was an attempt to overthrow the government. Ravalomanana's plane had to land somewhere else when he was returning from Europe. The attempt was not successful.

Presidential Election of 2006

Ravalomanana ran for a second term in the presidential election on 3 December 2006. He won the election with 54.79 percent of the votes in the first round.

Second Term as President

During his second term, Ravalomanana continued to work on national development. He created the Madagascar Action Plan (MAP), which focused on eight main goals. These goals included good governance, better infrastructure, rural development, family planning, strong economic growth, and protecting the environment. These goals were in line with the United Nations' goals for development.

They continued building schools and hiring teachers. They also changed the language of teaching in early grades to Malagasy. In 2007, English was added as an official language alongside Malagasy and French.

However, in the later part of his second term, people both inside and outside Madagascar criticized Ravalomanana. They accused him of becoming more controlling and of corruption.

Conflict with Andry Rajoelina

Political protests in Antananarivo, January 2009

On 13 December 2008, the government closed Viva TV, a TV station owned by the mayor of Antananarivo, Andry Rajoelina. They said an interview on the station could cause trouble. This made many people angry, especially those already unhappy with Ravalomanana's recent actions. These actions included a land deal with a Korean company and buying an expensive presidential jet.

Rajoelina then led many protests in Antananarivo. He spoke about the public's frustration with Ravalomanana's policies. On 3 February, Ravalomanana removed Rajoelina from his position as mayor. On 7 February, Rajoelina encouraged protesters to go to the president's office. The presidential guards fired into the crowd, killing 31 people and injuring more than 200.

Public anger against Ravalomanana grew stronger. Conflicts between protesters and security forces continued, leading to more deaths. On 11 March, the army took control of army headquarters. Over the next few days, the army helped the opposition take over important government buildings. The army also sent tanks towards the presidential palace.

On 16 March, the army took control of the Ambohitsorohitra Palace. Hours later, Ravalomanana transferred his power to a group of senior army officers. He later said he was forced to give up power. However, a military leader announced that power would be given directly to Rajoelina.

With the army's support, Rajoelina became president on 21 March. Many countries saw this transfer of power as illegal and called it a coup d'état.

After the Presidency

After Rajoelina took power, his government took legal action against Ravalomanana. In June 2009, Ravalomanana was fined and sentenced to four years in prison for misusing his power. This included buying the presidential jet.

Living in Exile

At this time, Ravalomanana was living outside Madagascar. In August, he was sentenced to hard labor for life for his role in the protests and deaths.

Ravalomanana's Tiko Group also faced pressure from the new government. They were asked to pay a large amount in back taxes.

Both Ravalomanana and Rajoelina were asked by a regional group (SADC) not to run in the 2013 presidential elections. This was to help end the political crisis. On 10 December 2012, Ravalomanana announced he would not run.

Presidential Elections 2018

Marc Ravalomanana ran in the Malagasy presidential elections in 2018. He made it to the second round of voting, getting 35.35% of the votes. In the second round, he lost to Andry Rajoelina, getting 44.34% of the votes compared to Rajoelina's 55.66%.

Presidential Elections 2023

Marc Ravalomanana also ran as a candidate in the 2023 Malagasy presidential elections.

Other Activities

Ravalomanana is a strong Christian. He took on more leadership roles in his church community as a young adult. In 2000, he became the vice-president of the FJKM church.

Ravalomanana also owns a media company called Malagasy Broadcasting System (MBS), which runs radio and television stations.

Honours

National Honours

Madagascar:
- Grand Cross, First Class of the National Order of Madagascar

Foreign Honours

Germany:
- Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2006)
Mauritius:
- Grand Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (2008)