Supporters of former Madagascan president Marc Ravalomanana asked the United Nations on Tuesday to help bring back their leader, who has been living in exile since March.

In a letter to the UN office here, Ravalomanana's supporters urged the world body to put pressure on the Madagascan transitional authority to implement the proposal by the international contact group on Madagascar.

The contact group, composed of special envoys from the African Union, the Southern African Development Community and the international organization of French-speaking countries, proposed last month that the Madagascan transitional authority should invite all former presidents living in exile to be back to the Indian Ocean island country and ensure their security and dignity.

At a meeting held on April 30 in Addis Ababa, the contact group denounced the power change in Madagascar as unconstitutional and urged for rapid return of constitutional order in the island country.

Backed by the armed forces, the high transitional authority led by former Antananarivo mayor Andry Rajoelina came to power on March 21, four days after Ravalomanana gave his presidency to a military committee, which transferred the power to Rajoelina.

Ravalomanana fled out of the country on March 25 and has been living in Swaziland and South Africa ever since.

Saying that he was still president of the island, Ravalomanana has promised on several occasions to be back to his country and, if necessary, with foreign peacekeepers.

Rajoelina and his transitional authority rejected Ravalomanana's return on the ground that it would make the difficult situation more complicated.

International mediators, who have been in the country ever since February, suggested last month that all current leaders and former presidents of the country should not be candidates for next national election, which should be held in 14 month.

However, all stakeholders in the current political crisis refused to sign an agreement prepared by the international contact group.

Weeks of consultations between the camps of the transitional authority led Rajoelina and former presidents Ravalomanana, Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy failed to reach any deal.

Last week, Ravalomanana's representatives withdrew from the talks when their demand for the return of the former president was rejected by the ruling authority.

African Union special envoy Ablasse Ouedraogo told the media here on Monday that the international mediators would continue their efforts in convincing the four stakeholders to sign an agreement for a peaceful solution to the political crisis, which began last December.

Source:Xinhua