Madagascar’s Military Takes Control of Country after President Flees

The Washington Post

12:30 JST, October 15, 2025

Madagascar’s military has taken control of the country and dissolved its high-level governmental institutions except for the lower house of Parliament, which on Tuesday voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina – ending his decade-long rule.

Standing outside of the presidential palace on Tuesday, Col. Michael Randrianirina, commander of an elite unit of the country’s armed forces, announced the formation of a transitional government made up of civilians, which he said would rule for two years. He said the constitution, the country’s top court and electoral commission – among other institutions – had been suspended and that a referendum would be held to formulate a new constitution, according to local news reports.

The country’s high court invited the military leader to serve as the country’s head of state, noting that Rajoelina is unable to perform his duties, having gone into hiding.

Rajoelina, who has rejected calls for his resignation following weeks of deadly protests, decried the military’s actions in a statement posted to the presidency’s Facebook page, saying they amount to a coup d’état. He vowed to remain in power despite the impeachment vote.

Earlier Tuesday, Rajoelina said in a statement that he had dissolved his country’s National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, hours after announcing that he had departed for an undisclosed location out of fear for his safety amid anti-government protests that escalated in recent weeks.

In the statement, Rajoelina said he had informed the prime minister and consulted the leaders of the National Assembly and the Senate before announcing the dissolution of the assembly. Opposition members there had been trying to gather enough signatures to impeach him, Reuters reported.

In a 26-minute online video posted Monday night, Rajoelina resisted growing calls for his resignation and sought talks “to find a way out of this situation,” according to the Associated Press.

The developments come as the southern African island nation, home to more than 29 million people, enters its third week of deadly political unrest.

Twenty-two people were killed and more than 100 injured in clashes with security forces, spurred by anger over water and power cuts, and subsequent gang violence and looting, according to the United Nations. The government rejected those figures.

Rajoelina’s whereabouts are unknown, although rumors circulated online over the weekend that the president had fled the country.

The broadcast of his speech was delayed Monday after an armed group tried to seize control of the country’s state-owned media station, according to a post on the presidency’s Facebook page.

Many of the Madagascan protesters are young, drawing comparisons with Gen-Z protest movements in other countries in recent months – from Nepal to Morocco and Kenya – where youths have taken to the streets over a lack of economic opportunities and demanded reforms to combat entrenched corruption.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern about the evolving situation in the former French colony on the sidelines of a summit on Gaza in Egypt on Monday.

Speaking to reporters, Macron said that constitutional order must continue and that political expression by young people should not be taken over by military factions or foreign interference.

Over the weekend, an elite group of soldiers from the CAPSAT unit broke with the government, declaring support for and joining the Gen-Z-led demonstrations.

Rajoelina – who came to power in 2009 in what the United States and international community described as a coup d’état – accused protesters of orchestrating a coup against him. On Saturday, the office of the presidency released a statement that said the president and prime minister were still in control of national affairs.

The protests began on Sept. 25, as thousands of young people in Madagascar gathered in the streets to demonstrate against persistent water and power cuts.

Those demonstrations spread to major cities, snowballing into a broad show of dissatisfaction with the country’s leadership, the cost of living and alleged corruption. The government instituted a night curfew in major cities nationwide.

In response to the spreading protests, Rajoelina fired his cabinet and appointed a new prime minister. But protesters still called for his resignation. The last election in Madagascar in 2023, won by Rajoelina, had a low voter turnout and was boycotted by many opposition candidates.

U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Turk last month called on security forces to “desist from the use of unnecessary and disproportionate force” and for Madagascar’s authorities to “ensure respect for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

The State Department has warned U.S. travelers to reconsider going to Madagascar, saying protests “can turn violent without warning.”