reasons for the establishment of so many special tribunals and procedures, notably in the case of oEfences such as the theft of cattle, the specific character and mode of operation of each of these courts and whether there were possibilities of appeal from their decision. 52G. With regard to these questions, the representative of the State party explained that decentralieed communities were traditional structures which had been embodied in the administrative, legal and institutional system of Madagascar since 1975. These were assemblies of people practising self-government on a voluntary basis, the members being elected by universal suffrage in the case of the lower communities and by limited suffrage in the case of higher assemblies, the structure being pyramidal. Although the Constitution gave them broad powers for the administration or maintenance of order it had not fully defined them and it was therefore proposed to review their structure. 527. With regard to the organisation and independence of the judiciary, the representative explained that no decisions of the Constitutional High Court or the Supreme Court had made reference to the Covenant. The independence of the judiciary was expressly enshrined in article 83 of the Constitution and guaranteed by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had recently been reorganieed and a supervisory body of professional judges elected by the People’s National Assembly had been established. The organization of the judiciary and the separation between the executive and legislative branches was being redefined. The constitutional reform was intended to establish an executive responsible to Parliament. The Constitutional High Court would shortly be abolished. Cases could be referred to it by the President of the Republic, the People’s National Assembly and individuals, Xt could also take up issues on its own initiative when it believed that the Constitution had been violated. 528. The special tribunals had not been established by the Constitution. Some of them went back to colonial times. The theft of cattle was a menace to society and a serious focus of criminal activity, which had on occasion In an effort to control the degenerated into tribal and regional wars. problem, the State had set up special tribunals which unhappily had not been able to bring the banditry to an end. The creation of the special economic tribunal in response to the growth of the black market and corruption had been intended to serve an essentially psychological purpose. The establishment of other organs had not sufficed to resolve major economic and social problems, and it was proposed to abolish them when the judiciary was reorganised. The peripatetic tribunals were not special tribunals. They were intended to provide for the geographical decentralisation of the justice system necessitated by the size of the country and the few judges available. 529. With reference to measures taken in response to findings of the Committee under the optional Protocol, the representative explained that all the persons mentioned had been released and were leading a normal life in Madagascar or had left the country.. One of the complainants was continuing to make complaints to the Committee. 530. The commitments given by the Malagasy authorities to the major international financial and monetary institutions had resulted in serious difficulties. Structural adjustment, successive devaluations, external trade -,130-