the middle income brackets. The current government, in consultation with Malagasy citizens and with the help of multilateral institutions and international donors, has put together an ambitious plan, the Madagascar Action Plan (MAP), which, complemented by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), is designed to put the economy on a solid path toward sustainable growth and poverty reduction. After years of political instability and economic stagnation, recent political and economic progress and the MAP process provide a basis for optimism about medium-term economic prospects for the Malagasy economy and people. All this goes to prove that the current economic scenario further explains the reasoning behind Madagascar’s position in the demographic transition model. 2. Politics Taking a look at Madagascar’s history, the Merina dynasty united all the people living on the island. 90% of the people in Madagascar are Malagasy and there are 20 ethnic groups in Madagascar today. The Merina rulers of Madagascar welcomed the English missionaries and soon the island had converted to the Christian faith. The missionaries influenced the people to create schools, medical centers and industry. The Malagasy people believed that their embrace of Christianity and modernity would save them from colonialism. Unfortunately, they did not realize that the version of European Christianity they had been introduced to was used to further the goals of the imperialists. In 1884, the French army launched their attack on the Malagasy people to expand the French empire; the war ended in a stalemate. In 1895, the French launched a bigger invasion which utterly destroyed the Merina ruler ship and the wheels of French colonialism were set in place across the island. The French rule brought devastation as they looted the resources and did not invest in infrastructure development and only shipped resources out to France. They eventually won their independence when the Malagasy Republic, proclaimed on October 14, 1958, became an autonomous state within the French Community and on on 26 March 1960, Madagascar became an independent country and Philibert Tsiranana became its first president. Looking at some important events in the conflict oriented political history of Madagascar, we see that unconstitutional changes of the government, international isolation, sanctions from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and innumerable military coups have led to mayhem in the Madagascar economy. The most recent coup in 2009 led to five years of political deadlock, international condemnation and economic sanctions. Despite the return of democratic elections in 2013, the political situation remains fragile. The instability of power has led to numerous protests, civil disruptions and has given the country an adverse reputation in the investor and international market. During this havoc, we see how the economic growth has declined since 2009 to 2013, amidst political disruptions. Prior to the 2009 political crisis, Madagascar’s economic growth averaged 5.8% from 2004-2008; but declined to 1.4% in the period from 2009. The election of Rajaonarimampianina in 2013 brought about a degree of >