Madagascar’s armed forces announced on Tuesday that they had taken control of the nation after President Andry Rajoelina fled abroad and was impeached by parliament’s lower chamber, following weeks of massive youth-led protests and military defections.
Colonel Michael Randrianirina, an officer who once led a mutiny in the elite CAPSAT unit that helped Rajoelina rise to power in 2009, made the declaration on national radio, stating that the military had assumed full authority. He added that state bodies, including the Senate, the High Constitutional Court, the electoral commission, and several top courts were now suspended. However, he said the National Assembly would continue to function.
Randrianirina later told journalists that a military-led committee would share power with a transitional cabinet for up to two years, after which new elections would be held.
Rajoelina, 51, denounced the move in a statement, describing it as a coup. Earlier that day, he had tried to dissolve the National Assembly by decree, but lawmakers including some from his own ruling coalition went ahead with his impeachment, accusing him of misconduct and abuse of office. The resulting constitutional deadlock paved the way for the army’s intervention.
In a late-night broadcast on Monday, the president said that threats to his life had forced him into hiding. According to an opposition member, a military insider, and a foreign diplomat, Rajoelina fled the country on Sunday aboard a French military aircraft.
The crisis traces back to demonstrations that erupted on September 25, initially over water and electricity shortages, but which soon evolved into a nationwide revolt against corruption, poor governance, and failing public services.
In Antananarivo’s 13 May Square, thousands of young protesters many from Gen Z gathered waving Malagasy flags and banners adorned with anime-style skull-and crossbones symbols, accusing Rajoelina of being too close to France because of his dual nationality.
