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Randrianirina announced Tuesday that the armed forces were taking power in Madagascar, capping weeks of protests against Rajoelina and his government by mainly youth groups
Madagascar’s military coup leader said Wednesday that he is “taking the position of president” in an interview given to a wire agency. Col. Michael Randrianirina, led a rebellion by soldiers that ousted President Andry Rajoelina. It is reported that he will be sworn in as the Indian Ocean country’s new leader in the next few days.
Randrianirina announced Tuesday that the armed forces were taking power in Madagascar, capping weeks of protests against Rajoelina and his government by mainly youth groups. He said he is taking the role as head of state after the country’s High Constitutional Court invited him to do so in the absence of Rajoelina, who fled Madagascar following the uprising.
The protests reached a turning point on Saturday when Randrianirina and soldiers from his elite CAPSAT military unit rebelled against Rajoelina and joined demonstrations calling for the president to step down, forcing Rajoelina to flee.
Rajoelina, who has been president since 2018, said he had fled to a safe place in fear for his life after the rebellion by Randrianirina’s soldiers. He has rejected the military takeover as an illegal coup attempt by a rebel faction.
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Randrianirina said the new military leadership would quickly appoint a new prime minister who would form a government, but didn’t give an exact time frame for that to happen. Madagascans have seen their country roiled by several coups and attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1960. The Indian Ocean Island has also struggled with high levels of poverty ever since.
