Addis Ababa, 17 August 2013. The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, continues to follow closely the situation in Madagascar. In this regard, she welcomes the decision taken this Saturday, 17 August 2013, by the new Special Electoral Court (CES) regarding the list of candidates for the presidential election that would mark the conclusion of the crisis exit process and the restoration of constitutional order.
The removal from the list, by CES, of the personalities whose candidacies do not meet the conditions laid down by the Malagasy Constitution and electoral law or contravene the relevant decisions of the AU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as supported by the International Contact Group on Madagascar (ICG-M), is an important step towards the creation of the required conditions for the organization, with the support of the international community, of a free, transparent and credible presidential election.