Amid growing international condemnation, the African Union (AU) has suspended Madagascar following a military takeover that ousted President Andry Rajoelina, with the country’s new military ruler set to be sworn in as president on Friday.
The Indian Ocean nation was thrown into its worst political crisis in years after the elite Capsat army unit seized power on Tuesday, just hours after parliament voted to impeach Rajoelina, who reportedly fled the country as street protests escalated.
Madagascar now joins a growing list of former French colonies — including Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon, and Guinea, that have fallen under military rule since 2020.
Colonel Michael Randrianirina, commander of the Capsat unit and now confirmed as president by the High Constitutional Court, said the transition to civilian rule would take less than two years, involving “the restructuring of major institutions.”
“It wasn’t a coup; it was a case of taking responsibility because the country was on the brink of collapse,” Randrianirina said, pledging to organise elections within 18 to 24 months.
He added that consultations were under way to appoint a prime minister and form a new government, with the transition overseen by a committee of officers from the army, gendarmerie, and police.
According to a military statement published on state television, Randrianirina “will be sworn in as president of the refoundation of the Republic of Madagascar” during a formal ceremony at the High Constitutional Court on 17 October.
The African Union announced Madagascar’s immediate suspension, citing an “unconstitutional change of government”, while the United Nations expressed “deep concern” over the developments.
Randrianirina, a long-time critic of Rajoelina’s administration, was reportedly imprisoned in 2023 for allegedly plotting a coup.
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