Madagascar military seizes power, removes President Rajoelina

Shafaq News – Antananarivo

Madagascar’s military seized power on Tuesday, ousting President Andry Rajoelina after weeks of protests led by young demonstrators demanding political change.

Addressing reporters outside the presidential palace, CAPSAT chief Colonel Michael Randrianirina declared that the military would establish a transitional government and organize elections within two years. He also noted that Gen Z protesters would participate in shaping reforms, emphasizing that “the movement was created in the streets so we have to respect their demands.”

CAPSAT, the Personnel Administration and Technical and Administrative Services Corps, is Madagascar’s most powerful military unit. It had backed Rajoelina when he first assumed power in 2009 but aligned with the protesters on Saturday.

While Madagascar’s Constitutional Court recognized Colonel Randrianirina as the new leader, the president’s office insisted that Rajoelina remained in charge, condemning the takeover as an “attempted coup d’état.”

Rajoelina’s whereabouts remain unclear, though he indicated he was sheltering in a “safe place” after an alleged attempt on his life involving “military personnel and politicians,” a claim CAPSAT dismissed.

Unconfirmed reports suggested Rajoelina may have been flown out of the country aboard a French military aircraft.