Malagasy Republic
The Malagasy Republic (, ) was a state situated in Southeast Africa. It was established in 1958 as an autonomous republic within the newly created French Community, became fully independent in 1960, and existed until the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Madagascar in 1975. History After France adopted the Constitution of the Fifth Republic under the leadership of General Charles de Gaulle, on September 28, 1958, a referendum was held in the Colony of Madagascar to determine whether the country should become a self-governing republic within the French Community. The AKFM and other nationalists opposed to the concept of limited self-rule mustered about 25 percent of votes cast. The vast majority of the population, at the urging of the Social Democratic Party of Madagascar and the Comoros (PSD) leadership, voted in favor. The vote led to the election of Philibert Tsiranana as the country's first president on April 27, 1959. After a year of negotiations between Tsiranana and his French counterparts, Madagascar's status as a self-governing republic officially was altered on June 26, 1960, to that of a fully independent and sovereign state. The cornerstone of Tsiranana's government was the signing with France of fourteen agreements and conventions designed