Madagascar’s army seized power on Tuesday after President Andry Rajoelina was impeached by lawmakers and fled the country following weeks of youth-led protests that paralysed the nation.
Colonel Michael Randrianirina, who led the mutiny, announced on national radio that the military had taken control and would dissolve all state institutions except the National Assembly.
“We have taken power,” Randrianirina declared. “The following institutions are suspended: the Senate, the High Constitutional Court, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the High Court of Justice, and the High Council for the Defence of Human Rights and the Rule of Law.”
He later told reporters that a committee led by the military would govern the country alongside a transitional administration for up to two years before organising fresh elections.
The dramatic power shift came hours after Rajoelina, 51, attempted to dissolve the lower house by decree in a bid to stave off impeachment. Lawmakers ignored the move and proceeded with a vote to remove him, creating a constitutional vacuum that the army swiftly filled.
Rajoelina, who himself came to power through a coup in 2009, condemned the takeover in a statement issued shortly before his departure. Opposition figures and diplomatic sources said he fled Madagascar on Sunday aboard a French military plane after threats to his life.
Randrianirina, commander of the elite CAPSAT unit that had played a decisive role in Rajoelina’s 2009 rise to power, broke ranks with him last week. The unit declared its support for the protesters over the weekend and refused to fire on demonstrators, effectively tipping the balance of power.
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By Monday, the gendarmerie and police had also withdrawn their loyalty from the president, leaving him increasingly isolated.
The crisis follows nearly three weeks of escalating demonstrations led by young protesters angered by chronic water and power shortages, corruption, and worsening living conditions.
What began as a protest over basic services on 25 September quickly transformed into a nationwide movement demanding Rajoelina’s resignation.
On Tuesday morning, thousands gathered at Antananarivo’s 13 May Square, waving Malagasy flags and banners bearing the skull-and-crossbones symbol from the Japanese One Piece anime, which has become the emblem of the “Gen Z” protest wave.
At one point, Randrianirina addressed the crowd from a makeshift stage, asking, “Are you ready to accept a military takeover?” to which demonstrators responded with cheers.
“We’re so happy Andry Rajoelina is finally gone … We will start again,” said Fih Nomensanahary, a high-school student celebrating with friends.
Others struck a more cautious tone. “They need to hand over to a civilian administration quickly and have an election,” said Rezafy Lova, a 68-year-old IT consultant.
Madagascar, an island nation of about 30 million people off Africa’s southeastern coast, faces deep economic hardship. .World Bank estimates that between independence in 1960 and 2020, GDP per capita fell by 45%.
With the Senate, courts, and other key institutions suspended, the country now faces an uncertain path under military rule, its second such intervention in little over a decade.
