Madagascar military says it seizes power, suspends institutions

A Madagascar army colonel says the military has taken charge of the African island nation after its parliament voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina, following weeks of youth-led antigovernment protests.

There were celebrations in the streets of the capital, Antananarivo, following Colonel Michael Randrianirina’s announcement, which came almost immediately after parliament voted on Tuesday to impeach Rajoelina, who fled the country after soldiers joined the mass protests.

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“We have taken the power,” Randrianirina said, adding that the military was dissolving all institutions except the lower house of parliament.

He later told reporters that a committee led by the military would rule the country for a period of up to two years alongside a transitional government before organising new elections.

“The renovation period will last a maximum of two years. During this time, a referendum will be held to establish a new constitution, followed by elections to gradually set up the new institutions,” he told reporters.

“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 Defense of Human Rights and the Rule of Law,” a statement from the country’s military leaders said.

In a day of turmoil, Rajoelina, whose whereabouts are unknown, earlier sought to dissolve the lower house by decree.

But lawmakers went ahead with a vote to impeach him, leaving the country in a constitutional deadlock that the military seized upon to declare they were taking charge.

Rajoelina denounced the move as “a clear act of attempted coup d’etat”.

“The president of the republic remains fully in office and ensures the maintenance of constitutional order and national stability,” the presidency said in a statement.

Reporting from the headquarters of the army unit that has taken charge of the country, Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller said crowds of people in the capital cheered Randrianirina’s announcement.

“Crowds outside cheered, shouted. They welcomed this announcement,” Miller reported. “So far, we’ve not seen any rejection of the army taking over.”

Rajoelina had been facing growing calls to resign throughout weeks of youth-led antigovernment protests. A turning point in the protests came on Saturday when an elite military unit joined the demonstrators and turned against him. That prompted Rajoelina to say there was an attempt to seize power, and he went into hiding.

Rajoelina, a former mayor of Antananarivo, said in a speech broadcast on social media on Monday night that he had left the country in fear for his life and was sheltering in a “safe space”.

A military source told the Reuters news agency that Rajoelina left the country on Sunday on board a French army aircraft, although France’s President Emmanuel Macron refused to confirm that his government had played a role.

Hours after Rajoelina spoke of “an attempt to seize power illegally and by force”, the army’s elite CAPSAT unit, which played a key role in the 2009 coup that first brought Rajoelina to power, said it had taken control of the military. It had earlier announced it would “refuse orders to shoot” demonstrators.

On Tuesday, a privately owned news website in Madagascar, 2424.mg, reported that the police had joined the military and gendarmerie in backing the demonstrations.

Led by Gen Z groups, the antigovernment protests began on September 25, initially to express anger over water and power outages. However, they soon expanded to encompass wider grievances over the cost of living, poverty and alleged government corruption, fuelling widespread calls for Rajoelina’s resignation.

‘Reformist’

Rajoelina, who positioned himself as a reformist, led a transitional government until 2014, stepping aside to restore constitutional order. He returned after winning the 2019 election and secured a second full term in 2023.

The United Nations says at least 22 people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the demonstrations began although Rajoelina’s government disputed these figures.

One CAPSAT soldier died in fighting with the gendarmerie on Saturday before a widespread move by the country’s security forces to support the demonstrations.

The protests have exposed deep frustration in one of the world’s poorest nations, where only a third of the population has access to electricity and blackouts routinely exceed eight hours a day.

The Gen Z Madagascar movement has drawn inspiration from recent uprisings that have challenged governments in several countries, including Kenya, Indonesia and Peru.

Such youth-led demonstrations in South Asia have unseated governments in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Gen Z Madagascar had refused government offers for dialogue despite repeated outreach efforts by Rajoelina’s administration.