Keypoints:
- Colonel Randrianirina assumes power after coup
- Soldiers suspend constitution, Rajoelina flees
- Presidency condemns ‘illegal’ military takeover
MADAGASCAR’S military coup leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, has declared himself president following the ousting of President Andry Rajoelina. Speaking to the Associated Press from his barracks in Antananarivo on Wednesday, Randrianirina said he was ‘taking the position of president’ and expected to be sworn in within days.
The colonel, who led the rebellion by soldiers from the Army Personnel Administration Centre (CAPSAT), claimed he was acting on the invitation of the High Constitutional Court to fill the leadership vacuum left by Rajoelina’s flight from the country after the military uprising.
Presidency denounces ‘illegal’ declaration
In a statement released on Tuesday, Madagascar’s presidency condemned what it described as an ‘illegal declaration’ by CAPSAT, calling the unit a rogue faction within the armed forces. The presidency said the occupation of the Ambohitsorohitra presidential palace represented ‘a manifest act of attempted coup d’état and a serious violation of republican legality’.
‘Such acts constitute a flagrant violation of the Constitution, democratic principles, and the oath sworn by each member of the military to protect the nation and its legitimate institutions,’ the statement read.
Soldiers suspend constitution and seize power
According to Anadolu Agency, CAPSAT soldiers stormed the presidential palace in the capital on Tuesday after parliament adopted a motion to impeach President Rajoelina. Colonel Randrianirina then announced the suspension of the constitution and the establishment of what he called ‘new structures for national renovation’.
‘By Ordinance 2025-001, we have decided to suspend the constitution adopted on December 11, 2010, and to establish new structures for national renovation,’ he declared.
Political crisis deepens in Madagascar
The takeover marks the latest in a series of political upheavals to shake Madagascar since it gained independence from France in 1960. The nation has endured repeated military interventions, disputed elections, and abrupt changes of leadership.
Analysts warn that the latest coup could trigger renewed instability, threatening the island’s fragile democracy and deterring foreign investment. The African Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have yet to issue formal statements but are expected to respond as events unfold.
For now, Colonel Randrianirina’s self-proclaimed presidency has thrown Madagascar’s political future into uncertainty, with the nation’s democratic institutions once again under severe strain.
