A new electoral assistance project is in the pipeline. As the Strengthening Electoral and Democratic Processes in Madagascar (RPEDEM) project reaches its conclusion, the Support for the Electoral Process for the Refoundation of Madagascar (Aperm) is set to take its place, according to a statement from the Independent National Electoral Commission (Ceni).
Established in March 2023 at the request of the Malagasy government, the steering committee for the RPEDEM project held its sixth and final meeting at the Ceni headquarters in Alarobia on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by Thierry Rakotonarivo, President of the Ceni; Anthony Ngororano, UN Resident Coordinator in Madagascar; Edward Christow, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and representatives from technical and financial partners.
According to Ceni, RPEDEM, which served as a foundation for electoral operations, was bolstered by two sub-projects focused on inclusion and tension prevention: the Japan Supplementary Budget, which promoted the participation of women and youth while enhancing Ceni’s capacity in biometric data management, and the Mahasaky project, which focused on preventing tensions through youth civic and political participation.
“RPEDEM was born with clear ambitions: to rebuild a solid social contract, a contract where every vote counts and where the electoral system faithfully and serenely reflects the sovereign expression of the Malagasy people,” stated Thierry Rakotonarivo. He emphasized that this is an essential pillar in the common quest for stable, transparent, and inclusive governance.
Ceni reported that throughout the history of elections in Madagascar, visually impaired voters were able to vote without assistance for the first time thanks to the braille ballot, as highlighted by the project’s Chief Technical Advisor, François Butedi. In total, the project’s overall budget amounted to over 13 million dollars.
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-04 11:23:34 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.2424.mg/elections-le-projet-dassistance-electorale-aperm-succede-au-projet-rpedem-qui-arrive-a-son-terme/