Philibert Tsiranana , born the October 28th 1912 in Ambarikorano (Mandritsara) and dead the April 16th 1978, is a Malagasy politician .

In 1946, whereas he worked as teacher, he belonged to the core founder of PADESM (Left Disinherited Madagascar), an political organization gathering the Mainty and the Tanindrana, being opposed to the nationalist claims MDRM, directed by Merina. In the publications of Padesm, it then signed articles under the pseudonym of Tsimihety, by reference to its ethnos group of origin. After a stay of a few years in France in order to become teacher of metropolitan framework, he becomes professor in a technical establishment with Antananarivo. In 1952, he becomes provincial adviser of Majunga and in 1956, appointed of Madagascar. The same year, it founds the Social democrat Party (PSD) with moderate elements of old Padesm. From the start then, it was manifest that its party profits from the preferences of the colonial administration, from the point of view of the progressive transfers of the executive power envisaged by the Loi-Cadre. In May 1957, he becomes Minister and then, Vice-Président of the government. In July 1958, the Representative Parliament entrusts to Philibert Tsiranana the presidency of the executive government. The supreme responsibility with the head the colony remained however the High-Commissioner of the French Republic in Madagascar, André Soucadaux. The main concern of Tsiranana was then to conduct the campaign for the " oui" at the time of the referendum of September 1958, so that Madagascar remains within the French Communauté. At the time of the Congress of the provincial Advisers on October 14th, 1958, it makes vote the introduction of the Malagasy Republic and the transformation of the provincial Council into National Assembly. April 29th, 1959, the latter votes a constitution and, three days after (on May 1st), appoints Philibert Tsiranana first President of the Malagasy Republic. In front of the new provisions of the French policy to grant political independence to the colonies, Tsiranana starts officially the negotiations which lead to the proclamation of the independence of Madagascar on June 26th, 1960.

During the presidency of Tsiranana during the Sixties, the links between Madagascar and France remain extremely close, and this in all the fields. French civils servant, including under Minister, remain with the head of the majority of the departments of the public service. The safety even of the country was placed under the responsibility of the French troops continuing to occupy various strategic bases of the island. Little by little however, as the executives autochtones (preferably of coastal origin) took the changing, the situation was degraded. The nepotism and corruption became worrying and the opposition, represented especially by a large fraction of the elites Merina and Betsileo, drawn aside from the capacity, radicalized their positions. In the south of Madagascar, a country opposition directed in particular by Monja Jaona also appeared. As from 1971, their movement took even the aspect of an armed revolt that the capacity repressed with a great brutality.

January 30th, 1972, after having obtained more than 99% of the voices at the time of an anticipated presidential election, Tsiranana starts a third mandate. However, as of April, the protest against the educational policy involves strikes of students, supported at once massively by pupils of secondary education. Very quickly, the authorities are overflowed and, taken of panic, make stop tens of student leaders , brought together in assembly the evening of May 12th for then off-setting them with the penitentiary of Nosilava, an small island in the north of Madagascar. The following day, a great protest demonstration joining together of the young people is transformed in Antananarivo into insurrection against the mode. The police force and Republican Forces of Safety - FRS (guard of elite of the presidency) shoot at crowd and make several tens (or hundreds) of victims. These violences encourage the majority of the civils servant of the capital and the employees of many companies to cease their work, which completes to discredit the mode which gives up exerting any authority with Tananarive. May 17th, Tsiranana is thus obliged to entrust the full powers to the general Gabriel Ramanantsoa, chief of staff of the army. October 8th, 1972 finally, Ramanantsoa is made confirm its capacity by referendum, which definitively draws aside Tsiranana of the political life until its " death; anticipée" by the refusal of Didier Ratsiraka that Philibert Tsiranana can be neat…