Chameleon deputies who turned green without being environmentalists. Two weeks after the closure on September 4, 2026, of the first extraordinary session of the National Assembly, deputies are gathering for a second extraordinary session that constitutes a real-world test for the new presidential, if not parliamentary, majority. Agenda This moment of truth, particularly for the "mpamadika palitao", is scheduled to open today at 11 a.m. in the Tsimbazaza hemicycle, ending within 12 days, the maximum period set by the Constitution for an extraordinary session. However, a closure decree takes effect as soon as the National Assembly has exhausted the agenda for which it was convened, though this seems unlikely given the volume of bills filed with the lower chamber president's office. Intersession The second extraordinary session will close no later than Monday, September 28, 2026. That is, three weeks before the second ordinary session devoted mainly to adopting the 2027 Finance Law, which begins October 20 this year. In short, the intersession will last less than a month for deputies, who will barely have time to make a round trip to their respective constituencies, at least for those elected in remote and/or landlocked districts, difficult to access by road and not served by air links. With the rainy season beginning in November, or earlier due to climate change, many deputies prefer or are forced to remain in the capital until the second ordinary session, which will last 60 days. VFM Pending the major parliamentary opening on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, members of the national representation are meeting from today in a second extraordinary session with a determined agenda. Beyond the 15 planned bills, this will be the first session for members of the "Vovonan'ny Fihavaozana an'i Madagasikara" (VFM), composed essentially of IRMAR elected officials who changed colors. Chameleon deputies switching from orange, under which they were elected for the current legislature, to green, hoping to be re-elected in the next Fifth Republic term. According to the December 16 Opinion of the High Constitutional Court, "deputies showing ingratitude who are candidates and elected in the name of a political party or group of parties which, during their mandate, they leave to join other parties or groups within the National Assembly, are considered politically dishonest". Forfeiture The constitutional judge nuances, however, that "the originally independent deputy is not subject to this prohibition". That posed by Article 72 of the Constitution, which provides that "during his mandate, the deputy cannot, on pain of forfeiture, change political groups to join a new group other than the one under whose name he was elected". Provisions repeated by the law on political parties, which states in its Article 25 that: "on pain of forfeiture, any holder of public office cannot change parties other than the one under whose name he was elected during his mandate. The independent deputy elected without party affiliation may join the parliamentary group of his choice within the National Assembly". Versatilities According to the HCC Opinion, "the spirit and purpose of these two articles, one constitutional and the other legislative, are to impose morality and ethics in the country's political life, by sanctioning with forfeiture the wanderings of elected officials in the National Assembly, versatilities caused by political or personal interests". The same Opinion considers that "the Constitution of the Fourth Republic, establishing a parliamentary-inspired political system, provided for the existence of a parliamentary majority that should not be confused with the presidential majority. That the formation of a platform for the presidential majority is, consequently, a political consideration of alliance within the National Assembly, not provided for by the Constitution; that the High Constitutional Court cannot give its opinion on it". One is entitled to ask whether the VFM considers itself a parliamentary majority or a presidential majority. A question for a champion of coat-turning.