Madagascar's current political order is transitional, with governing arrangements shaped by recent conflict, military intervention or an incomplete constitutional transition. Michael Randrianirina serves as President of Madagascar under the present framework.
Madagascar has a semi-presidential or mixed executive system in which a directly elected president shares national executive responsibilities with a prime minister and cabinet. The precise balance varies by constitution and political circumstances: the president generally has important state powers, while the government is responsible for day-to-day administration and is accountable, wholly or in part, to parliament.
Legislative authority is exercised through a unicameral national parliament or assembly. It passes legislation, approves the budget, and performs the oversight and appointment functions assigned to it by the constitution. The judiciary is formally separate from the political branches, with the highest courts responsible for interpreting law and, where the constitutional system provides for it, reviewing constitutional questions.
Madagascar is a unitary state, meaning sovereign authority is principally vested in national institutions, although local and regional governments exercise powers assigned by law. The constitution defines the relationship among the executive, legislature, judiciary, and subnational administration. Political authority is exercised through the constitutional institutions described above, with elections, parliamentary confidence, or other constitutional procedures determining who holds office.
