ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar—Madagascar’s political landscape shattered on Tuesday as a colonel from an elite military unit announced the armed forces had seized control of the Indian Ocean nation, minutes after the parliament voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina.
The declaration by Colonel Michael Randrianirina of the Army Personnel Administration Center (CAPSAT)—the same unit that helped bring Rajoelina to power in a 2009 coup—marks a dramatic conclusion to weeks of youth-led anti-government protests over rampant corruption, poverty, and crippling utility shortages.
President Rajoelina, who had been struggling to contain the escalating civil unrest, has reportedly fled the country, having stated in a social media address late Monday that he was “forced to find a safe place to protect my life” following a purported assassination plot. His exact whereabouts remain unknown.
The Coup by Defection
Speaking from the capital, Antananarivo, Colonel Randrianirina was unequivocal: “We are taking power.” The colonel’s announcement came in the wake of a tumultuous day that saw the National Assembly overwhelmingly vote to impeach Rajoelina, ignoring the President’s last-ditch attempt from his undisclosed location to dissolve the chamber by decree.
The military, led by the influential CAPSAT unit that had publicly sided with the “Gen Z Madagascar” protesters over the weekend, moved to dissolve key state institutions, including the Senate and the High Constitutional Court. Colonel Randrianirina said the armed forces would establish a council of army and gendarmerie officers, with a mandate to appoint a civilian prime minister to form a new government “quickly.”
For the thousands of youthful protesters who have been demonstrating against the lack of economic opportunity and chronic power and water outages, the military intervention was met with cheers. The protestors, many waving the distinctive “Gen Z” anime-pirate flags, see the military’s move as an answer to the “people’s calls.”
The President’s Retreat
Rajoelina’s flight marks a stunning and deeply ironic reversal of fortune. The 51-year-old former DJ himself ascended to the presidency after a military-backed revolt 16 years ago, capitalizing on popular discontent against his predecessor. His insistence on Monday that he was merely seeking refuge from a “coup d’état” and remained the constitutional head of state has been dismissed by the very military faction that once installed him.
Rumours of Rajoelina’s exit were rife over the weekend, with unconfirmed reports suggesting he may have left the island on a French military aircraft. The French government, the former colonial power, has declined to comment on the logistics, only expressing “great concern” over the instability.
The events leave the world’s fourth-largest island nation facing profound constitutional uncertainty. The regional body, the African Union, has a “zero-tolerance” policy on unconstitutional changes of government and is expected to condemn the military takeover, potentially triggering sanctions.
However, after weeks of a political standoff that claimed dozens of lives in clashes between security forces and demonstrators, the dramatic military intervention has at least ended the immediate crisis of governance, replacing it with the profound uncertainty of a transition under military control. The world now waits to see whether the new governing council honors its promise to quickly restore a civilian government or if Madagascar will descend once again into a cycle of military-backed rule.