An army colonel who led a lightning-fast coup takes over as Madagascar's president

His ascent to the presidency came just three days after he announced that the armed forces were taking power in the Indian Ocean island of around 30 million people off Africa’s east coast.

Call for unity

The nation had been rocked by three weeks of youth-led anti-government protests that started with frustration over chronic water and electricity outages but snowballed into anger with the leadership of President Andry Rajoelina. At least 22 people were killed in the protests after an initial crackdown by security forces, the United Nations said.

“Today marks a turning point for our nation, for the Madagascan people themselves are thirsting for profound change in the way our country is governed,” Randrianirina said in a speech from a podium next to a red, green and white Madagascan flag. He called for peace and unity and promised to “break away from the harmful practices of the past.”

The U.N. has condemned the military takeover as an unconstitutional change of government but there has been little significant reaction from other countries, including Madagascar’s former colonial ruler, France. The takeover led to Madagascar being suspended from the African Union.

Madagascar is widely known as the world’s largest vanilla provider and the home of the stripy-tailed primates called lemurs, but it also has a tumultuous history of political instability.

The country has seen several coups and attempted coups since gaining independence in 1960, including the one that first brought Rajoelina to power as a transitional president in 2009. Despite championing the hopes of the youth, Rajoelina has been criticized for doing little to improve the lives of Madagascans, with around 75% of the population living in poverty, according to the World Bank.

Ousted president is in hiding

Rajoelina’s whereabouts are unknown after he left the country claiming his life was in danger following the rebellion. He reportedly escaped on a French military plane. In his absence, Rajoelina was impeached in a vote in parliament on Tuesday, right before the colonel announced the military was taking power.

“The previous president failed to listen to the youth — and this is the result,” said Emmanuel Rabemanantsoa, a young Madagascan who had taken part in the Gen Z-led protests.

Randrianirina, who is believed to be 50 or 51 years old, swapped his military camouflage for a dark suit and blue tie for the swearing-in ceremony, which was attended by military officers, civilian officials and foreign diplomats. Military guards of honor on either side of the room drew ceremonial swords to mark the moment, and a line of soldiers blew trumpets.

The colonel, who emerged from relative obscurity to lead the rebellion by his CAPSAT military unit less than a week ago, was briefly imprisoned two years ago for an attempted mutiny. He said he spent most of the three months he was detained in late 2023 and early 2024 at a military hospital.

Up to 2 years of military rule

Randrianirina has said Madagascar will be run by a military council with him as president for between 18 months and two years before any new elections, meaning the young people who inspired the uprising may have a long wait before they are able to choose a leader. Analysts question if the youth uprising was pounced on by the military to seize power.

The protests have echoed other Gen Z-led uprisings in Nepal, Sri Lanka and elsewhere. Young Madagascans first took to the streets last month to rail against water and power outages, but have raised other issues, including the cost of living, the lack of opportunities and alleged corruption and nepotism by the elite.

Randrianirina seized on the momentum last weekend when he and his soldiers joined the anti-government protests that called for the president and government ministers to step down. There was a brief clash between his soldiers and gendarmerie security forces still loyal to Rajoelina, during which one CAPSAT soldier was killed, the colonel said.

But there has been no major violence and Randrianirina’s troops have been cheered while riding through the streets of the capital, Antananarivo, in armored vehicles and their takeover celebrated by Madagascans.

Randrianirina said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday that the military takeover was a move to “take responsibility as citizens and patriots” to save “a dying country.”

Coup condemned

Rajoelina’s office has said a move earlier this week by the High Constitutional Court to invite Randrianirina to become the new president was flawed and claimed that some of the court’s judges had been threatened to sign off on an illegal coup.

On Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the unconstitutional change of government and called “for the return to constitutional order and the rule of law,” his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said. The African Union said it “totally rejects” the takeover.

The European Union called for the restoring of "democratic values" in Madagascar through a national dialogue, a spokesperson said.

Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

More AP news on Madagascar: https://apnews.com/hub/madagascar