Madagascar’s elite military unit, CAPSAT, declared “seizing power” on Tuesday amidst a wave of protests led by young people in the Indian Ocean island nation. This was followed by a military coup, leading to the departure of President Andry Rajoelina whose whereabouts are currently unknown.
Colonel Michael Randrianirina, who led the rebellion of the CAPSAT elite military unit, announced on the national radio that “we have seized power.” He stated that the military would establish a commission consisting of army and gendarmerie officers, and swiftly appoint a prime minister to form a civilian government.
Prior to this announcement, the lower house of parliament had just voted to impeach Rajoelina on grounds of “dereliction of duty.” Despite Rajoelina’s attempts to dissolve the parliament through a decree to avoid impeachment, it was evidently unsuccessful. The military has stated their intention to dissolve all institutions except for the National Assembly.
The 51-year-old Rajoelina, in a speech on social media on Monday evening, mentioned concerns for his own safety as the reason for fleeing to a “safe place.” An opposition official and diplomats confirmed to Reuters that he fled the country on a French military plane on Sunday. However, he refuses to resign and insists that the constitution should be respected. Due to soldiers occupying the national radio building, his speech did not air on the national television as planned.
Madagascar has been rocked by protests led by Generation Z for weeks. The protests initially erupted on September 25 due to power and water outages but quickly escalated to express discontent with broader social issues including corruption, poor governance, and lack of essential services. Protesters cited inspiration from movements led by young people in other regions that aimed to topple leaders.
Over the weekend, the military began to join in the anti-government demonstrations, with the elite military unit CAPSAT, which helped Rajoelina seize power in 2009, switching sides. They refused to fire on protesters and escorted thousands of demonstrators to May 13th Square in the capital of Antananarivo.
Currently, Madagascar’s gendarmerie and police have also turned against Rajoelina, leaving him completely isolated. While significant violence has not erupted on the streets, the situation remains volatile.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for upholding constitutional order and warned against the military exploiting the discontent of the youth towards the government. Madagascar was once a French colony, and Rajoelina’s dual nationality has drawn criticism from protesters.
The country is currently facing its most severe political crisis since 2009. Rajoelina’s political career has been marked by drama; after becoming the mayor of Antananarivo in December 2007, he quickly emerged as a vocal critic of then-President Marc Ravalomanana. In February 2009, he was ousted from the mayoral position.
Subsequently, with military backing, he first took control of the national power and became the leader of the transitional government, while Ravalomanana was forced into exile. In 2018, Rajoelina was elected as the president and re-elected in 2023.
According to World Bank data, Madagascar, with a population of 31 million, has nearly three-quarters living below the poverty line.