The FFKM is expected to kick off the national consultation today with an ecumenical service at Voara Andohatapenaka village. This long-awaited meeting should also clarify the process stages. The FFKM will present the different phases of national consultation during today's service.
The starting gun. Many expect the ecumenical service organized by the Council of Christian Churches of Madagascar (FFKM) today at Voara Andohatapenaka village to mark the operational launch of the national consultation phase. Today's ecumenical service inaugurates the headquarters of the national consultation coordination. The FFKM, tasked with leading discussions, will also present the national consultation coordinator and outline the process stages, according to the program released by the church institution. Today's meeting signals the true kickoff of national consultation.
This start, if confirmed, comes nearly a month behind initial projections. After weeks of waiting and silence around the process, national actors and international partners now await concrete information on the chosen approach and its timeline. Church sources contacted ask for patience and to await speeches following today's service for clarity on the FFKM's plans.
Beyond the ceremony, the challenge is making the national consultation pathway clear and, more broadly, the transition under the Refoundation seal. Presenting consultation stages should help clarify the process timeline. This visibility is particularly expected regarding electoral deadlines, as the political calendar remains central to concerns.
The first electoral deadline, a referendum or constitutional election, should occur between May and July 2027, according to the Refoundation Program chronogram submitted to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on February 28. The FFKM-led process must enable a shared vision to emerge from grassroots concerns to realize institutional refoundation.
Challenges
National consultation should produce one or more constitutional drafts for referendum or constitutional election. The churches' stated objective is starting from fokontany, the community level, to gather citizen aspirations before escalating to decision-making levels. This ambition presents an initial challenge. Logistically and financially, the church institution must have resources for such extensive consultations.
The State affirmed its willingness to finance the process, but this commitment must translate into available resources. The capacity to deploy teams, organize consultations, and ensure coordination nationwide will be decisive. The other challenge is methodological: transforming diverse local aspirations into coherent national vision.
Expectations from fokontany may be diverse, even contradictory. The FFKM must synthesize them while addressing major national issues—political, economic, regional, and international. This consensus-seeking constitutes a principal difficulty.
Consultation can only be credible if it transcends particular interests to forge orientations acceptable to the majority. The FFKM must simultaneously structure and depoliticize debates. One risk is discussions being undermined by political and economic manipulation.
The sensitivity of subjects addressed and stakes regarding the country's institutional, social, and economic future demand particular vigilance from organizers. The resulting fundamental law will become the foundation of institutional Refoundation pursued by authorities. The consultation outcome will be decisive for the Refoundation process and the nation's future.
National consultation must also respond to aspirations expressed by protesters during September and October 2025 movements, demanding political system transformation.