The National Assembly is launching an extraordinary session imminently. This meeting will take place against a backdrop of tensions due to rising insecurity. After a few days of calm, parliamentary debates will once again animate the halls of the National Assembly.

Tense. This word sums up the current socio-political situation in the country. It is in this heavy context that the National Assembly's extraordinary session will begin. An unscheduled session requested by deputies and formalized by a convocation decree adopted in the Council of Ministers on Tuesday.

According to sources at the lower chamber, the decree convening the extraordinary session has not yet reached Tsimbazaza. The regulatory act nonetheless sets the date, agenda, and duration of debates, which must not exceed twelve days. From the permanent bureau of the institution, there is radio silence so far. During the first ordinary session, Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, president of the National Assembly, had mentioned the need for an unscheduled meeting to examine pending legislative projects and proposals.

The announced extraordinary session will nonetheless take place against a backdrop of social tensions. A tense situation due to rising insecurity. There are cases of disappearances and alleged murders, including children and adolescents, making headlines. Although a calm seems to be settling in over the past three days, anxiety remains palpable among citizens.

From the Head of State, through the Prime Minister to the leaders of the Defense and Security Forces (FDS), the theory of a political plot to destabilize the country behind these acts of violence is favored. The words "terrorism" and "war" have even been used by the two heads of the Executive to describe the current situation. At first glance, for the State, fighting current insecurity would consist of waging war against alleged terrorists.

"I warn that, whoever is behind this, we have already begun investigating now. Whatever the organization, whatever is behind this, I will destroy it," warned the occupant of Iavoloha in a speech delivered in Toamasina on Friday.

However, as the senior officer anticipated, a climate of psychosis has taken hold within society. Beyond political rhetoric, the security situation is creating a deleterious social situation.

Appeasement and social tranquility

Social tension is such that on the basis of mere hearsay or popular clamor, in disregard of the presumption of innocence, individuals are being lynched or "presumed guilty" of abduction or murder. After cases of disappearance, it is acts of popular vengeance that have flooded social networks over the past 72 hours. Yesterday, for example, a young man accused of murdering a young woman in Maintirano was snatched from police hands by a crowd, then lynched and burned alive.

Also yesterday, a prominent stylist denounced on social networks an assault by individuals on a scooter, of which her driver was allegedly a victim. The current situation, which carries security and political stakes, is thus at the center of current national concerns. For many observers, the current situation offers an opportunity for deputies to play their role of democratic oversight.

Beyond examining legislative texts, the National Assembly has an essential lever, namely control of government action. Through oral questions and interpellations, parliamentarians have the ability to hold the Executive accountable. In such a sensitive context, their involvement could prove necessary. Beyond speeches, public opinion awaits clear answers on the current situation.

Reacting to the authorities' statements, Dr. Omar Abderman Ramadany, jurist and researcher-teacher, indicates that they "presume the existence of evidence, identified responsible parties, and sufficiently solid elements to justify such a qualification." He explains that "a judicial investigation cannot be guided by hypotheses or statements. It must be based on objectively established facts, serious evidence, and proof."

The researcher-teacher raises the risk that prematurely attributing these crimes to political motivation "without judicial demonstration" could lead investigations in the wrong direction. "Faced with this security crisis, citizens expect neither speculation nor unproven accusations. They expect results: effective investigations, identified perpetrators, arrests, fair trials, and effective protection of the population," he adds.

By asking the right questions and demanding precise answers, deputies can contribute to clarifying the situation.