The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
– Rajaonarimampianina: economist and poet –
Hery Rajaonarimampianina, who turns 60 on Tuesday prides himself on his low-key demeanour and is perhaps the most understated of the leading contenders.
As president, the master economist hoped to turn the page on years of turmoil.
But his term from 2014 to 2018 did not escape the instability that has rocked the country since independence.
Rajaonarimampianina survived parliamentary manoeuvres to oust him as well as a mass protest movement earlier this year that claimed the lives of two people.
Before winning the top job, he served as Rajoelina’s finance minister, overhauling the country’s finances and integrating aid and private spending into the fiscal mix.
He also restored stability to the local ariary currency.
But critics, especially in Rajoelina’s camp, accuse him of having closed his eyes to the trafficking of endangered rosewood and precious stones.
He was a virtual unknown in 2013 but benefited from the election bans imposed on Ravalomanana and Rajoelina.
In line with the constitution, he resigned on September 7 to contest this year’s polls.
He has promised the profoundly poor nation “a new phase in its development” if elected.
