Progress at last?

The article focuses on conditions in Madagascar. A couple of years ago, Madagascar was close to civil war. With calm restored, this large island state in the Indian Ocean is recovering. But the urban poor who once marched for democracy are now back on the streets: this time, queuing for rice. President Marc Ravalomanana has pushed through painful but necessary changes, for example by ending price controls on petrol and rice, even if that means hurting his own supporters. His predecessor used to fix the price of rice at a below-market rate, fleecing the rural poor (who are 70% of the population) to keep urban consumers happy. Ravalomanana has freed prices, thereby boosting rural incomes and making life tougher for the urban poor. Ravalomanana appears to have made big strides in fighting corruption. The president thinks he can count on the urban, ethnic Asian vote, and would like some rural black votes as well.