The president of Madagascar is impeached and the military seizes control
President Andry Rajoelina was impeached by MPs and forced to leave Madagascar after weeks of protests spearheaded by young people, according to an army captain who led a mutiny in the country on Tuesday.
Despite growing Gen Z protests calling for his resignation and widespread army defections, Rajoelina had refused to retire.
“We have taken the power,” Colonel Michael Randrianirina announced on national radio, adding that the military was dismantling all institutions save the National Assembly, which is the lower chamber of parliament.
Later, before holding fresh elections, Randrianirina informed media that a military-led committee would run the nation for a maximum of two years in conjunction with a transitional administration.
“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,” according to a statement released by the nation’s military commanders.
In a day of unrest for the country off the coast of southern Africa, the 51-year-old leader, whose whereabouts are unknown, had previously attempted to dissolve the lower parliament by decree.
The military took advantage of the constitutional impasse that resulted from legislators’ vote to impeach him to declare that they were assuming control of the country.
Rajoelina, who was himself overthrown in a 2009 coup, issued a statement denouncing the military’s attempt to seize control.
Institutions that suspend the military
He split ranks with Randrianirina last week, a commander in the elite CAPSAT army unit that was instrumental in Rajoelina’s 2009 coup.
During his defiant speech to the country on Monday night, Rajoelina claimed that threats to his life had compelled him to relocate to a safe location. Reuters was informed by a foreign ambassador, a military source, and an opposition official that he had left the country on Sunday on a French military aircraft.
When MPs from his ruling coalition, which controls a parliamentary majority, decided to impeach him on Tuesday for allegedly participating in actions that are considered incompatible with his duties, his isolation grew even further.
Rajoelina had warned several times in the past few days that the island nation in the Indian Ocean was the scene of a coup attempt.
First of Seven Items In Antananarivo, Madagascar, October 14, 2025, a statewide youth-led protest about frequent power outages and water shortages takes place. Colonel Michael Randrianirina speaks to demonstrators outside the town hall on Independence Avenue. Reuters/Andrianjafy, Zo
ADVANCED DEMONSTRATIONS
Initial protests in the nation began on September 25 over electricity and water shortages, but they swiftly turned into an uprising over more general complaints, such as poor government, corruption, and a lack of essential services.
Recent demonstrations against the ruling class in Nepal and Morocco were echoed by the rage.
At Antananarivo’s 13 May Square earlier Tuesday, thousands of demonstrators marched, danced, sang, and held banners condemning Rajoelina as a French stooge due to his dual citizenship and backing from Madagascar’s former colonizer. The main drag was lined with palm trees and French colonial buildings.
Numerous people were brandishing Malagasy flags and the iconic Gen Z protest banner featuring a skull and crossbones from the anime series “One Piece” in Japan.
The audience cheered when Randrianirina said, “Are you ready to accept a military takeover?” at one point.
When demonstrators later learned of the military takeover, many were overjoyed.
“Andry Rajoelina’s departure at last makes us very glad… Fih Nomensanahary, a high school girl, declared, “We will start again,” as four of her companions applauded.
Some were more circumspect. According to Rezafy Lova, a 68-year-old IT expert, “they need to hand over to a civilian administration quickly and have an election.”
TATTERS’ ECONOMY
Announcing that it would not fire on the demonstrators, CAPSAT had joined them over the weekend. After it took control of the armed forces and installed a new army chief, Rajoelina issued a warning on Sunday about an unlawful attempt to take control.
Both the police and the paramilitary gendarmerie have since split from Rajoelina.
Three-quarters of the 30 million people who reside in Madagascar, where the average age is under 20, are impoverished. The World Bank reports that the country’s GDP per capita fell by 45% between 1960, when it gained independence, and 2020.
