This period was characterized by continued economic and cultural dependence upon France, provoking resentment and sparking popular movements among farmers and students that ultimately ushered in the socialist Second Republic under Admiral Didier Ratsiraka ( 1975 – 1992 ) distinguished by economic isolationism and political alliances with pro-Soviet states.

As Madagascar's economy quickly unraveled, standards of living declined dramatically and growing social unrest was increasingly met with violent repression on the part of the Ratsiraka government.

A provisional military directorate then ruled until a new government was formed in June 1975, under Didier Ratsiraka.

When President Philibert Tsiranana was forced to step down in 1972, a military directorate ensured an interim government before appointing one of its own, Admiral Didier Ratsiraka, to lead the country into its socialist Second Republic.

He was an opponent of President Didier Ratsiraka and was one of the lawyers advising Marc Ravalomanana when he was elected Mayor of Antananarivo in 1999.

After former president Didier Ratsiraka was re-elected in 1997, he 1998 introduced a revised constitution in which the still existing provinces were transformed to " autonomous provinces ".

Critics say that the hidden motivation was to make sure that Ratsiraka had a solid support from most of the provinces ; his party AREMA won the provincial elections 2000 in all provinces except Antananarivo.

With former president Didier Ratsiraka back in power, the constitution was amended in 1998, to include and specifically mention six autonomous provinces, divided into undefined regions and communes.

The opposition was ultimately successful in forcing Ratsiraka to agree to the Panorama Convention, which established a transitional government and stripped Ratsiraka of most of his powers, on October 31, 1991.

Zafy received some support in the second round from those who, despite their criticisms of Zafy, felt he was preferable to Ratsiraka, such as Interim President Norbert Ratsirahonana, who had unsuccessfully stood as a candidate in the first round.

Vice Admiral Didier Ratsiraka ( born 4 November 1936 ) is a Malagasy politician who was President of Madagascar from 1975 to 1993 and from 1997 to 2002.

He began setting up a socialist system, which was approved in a referendum held on December 21, 1975, establishing the Second Republic ; Ratsiraka was also elected President for a seven-year term in this referendum, which received the backing of 95 % of voters according to official results.

Zafy was impeached in 1996, and Ratsiraka, who had been in exile in France, achieved a political comeback in late 1996 when he won that year's presidential election, running as the candidate of the AREMA party.

On August 6, 2003, Ratsiraka — who was accused of stealing nearly eight million dollars in public funds from the annex of the central bank in Toamasina in June 2002, just before going into exile — was sentenced to ten years of hard labor in Madagascar.

Didier Ratsiraka returned from exile on November 24, 2011, a move that was welcomed by the Rajoelina regime as well as by former presidents ( and former opponents ) Ravalomanana and Zafy.

He was the Minister of Defense in the government of Madagascar under President Didier Ratsiraka until he resigned on March 8, 2002, and pledged his support to Marc Ravalomanana, the opposition presidential candidate who claimed to have won the December 2001 presidential election.

The former mayor, Roland Ratsiraka, was suspended after a decision in the municipal council in early 2007.

The party was founded on 19 March 1976, as the political party of president Didier Ratsiraka.

After World War II and until Didier Ratsiraka took the presidency in 1975, Fort Dauphin had a thriving community of Malagasy, French, Chinese and Pakistani merchants with adequate roads connecting the city to Tulear to the west and Fianarantsoa to the west and then north.

In the 1980s Madagascar moved back towards France, abandoning many of its communist-inspired policies in favour of a market economy, though Ratsiraka still kept hold of power.

* President Ratsiraka orders the nationalization of foreign owned businesses, resulting in Jenny family moving back to Switzerland, their holdings in Tolagnaro nationalized.

Ratsiraka continued to dispute the result but his opponent gained international recognition, and Ratsiraka had to go into exile in France, though forces loyal to him continued activities in Madagascar.

Ratsiraka went on trial ( in absentia ) for embezzlement ( the authorities charged him with taking $ 8m of public money with him into exile ) and the court sentenced him to ten years ' hard labour.

Opposition candidate Marc Ravalomanana prevailed in an extended dispute with Ratsiraka over the election results, and Ratsiraka fled into exile.

In mid-June Ratsiraka went to France, leading many to believe he had fled into exile and lowering the morale of his supporters, although Ratsiraka said he would return.

On August 4, 2009, Ratsiraka met with President of the High Authority of Transition of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina, as well as Ravalomanana ( who had himself been ousted and forced into exile ) and Zafy, in crisis talks mediated by former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano and held in Maputo.

Currently, the party is divided into two antagonistic factions: those behind Rajaonarivelo and those who claim to be supported by the party founder, Ratsiraka.

On 15 June 1975 Lieutenant-Commander Didier Ratsiraka ( who had previously served as foreign minister ) came to power in a coup.

During the power struggle after the presidential elections in 2001, five of those provinces, whose governors supported Ratsiraka, declared themselves independent from the republic.

After Didier Ratsiraka took power in 1975, Zafy resigned from the government and joined the University of Madagascar.

Zafy led an attempt to impeach Ratsiraka in early 1998, accusing him of various charges, including perjury and nepotism ; he also accused Ratsiraka of violating the constitution in his moves toward decentralization and the strengthening of the presidency at the expense of the National Assembly's power.

In the midst of a poor economic situation, Ratsiraka began to abandon socialist policies after a few years in power and implemented reforms recommended by the International Monetary Fund.

Members of the opposition, including Zafy, unsuccessfully attempted to impeach Ratsiraka in February 1998, accusing him of violating the constitution through decentralizing reforms that would increase his own power at the expense of that of the National Assembly.

With an easing of restrictions on political expression, beginning in the late 1980s, the Ratsiraka regime came under increasing pressure to make fundamental changes.

In response to largely peaceful mass demonstrations and crippling general strikes, Ratsiraka replaced his prime minister in August 1991 but suffered an irreparable setback soon thereafter when his troops fired on peaceful demonstrators marching on Iavoloha, the suburban presidential palace, killing more than 30.

In an increasingly weakened position, Ratsiraka acceded to negotiations on the formation of a transitional government.

Presidential elections were held on November 25, 1992, after the High Constitutional Court had ruled, over Hery Velona objections, that Ratsiraka could become a candidate.

In the second round, held on December 29, Zafy narrowly lost to Ratsiraka, taking 49. 29 % of the vote and losing by about 45, 000 votes.

He met with Ratsiraka on June 8, with AREMA leader Pierrot Rajaonarivelo on June 9, and with Tantely Andrianarivo, who served as Prime Minister under Ratsiraka, on June 11.

He met with Ratsiraka and Andrianarivo again on June 25.

Ratsiraka said that he had not ordered the Presidential Guard to open fire, but Ratsiraka's orders have been recorded and in these records, he orders the helicopter to shoot the car of the HAS president and open fire on the strikers but the incident severely undermined his already precarious position.

In the second round, held in February 1993, Ratsiraka lost to Zafy, taking about one-third of the vote, and left office on March 27.

The Ratsiraka faction sought to prevent the Rajaonarivelo faction's participation, but on August 23 the High Constitutional Court ruled that the Rajaonarivelo faction could participate.