Military leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina will be sworn in as Madagascar’s transitional President on Friday, after a coup to remove President Andry Rajoelina.
President Andry Rajoelina fled the country, fearing for his safety, after weeks of anti-government “Gen-Z” protests which were joined by military factions over water and electricity shortages, with his firing of the entire government only exacerbating calls for his resignation.
From an undisclosed location, he attempted to dissolve the National Assembly by decree. The National Assembly disregarded the decree and voted to impeach him on Tuesday.
Shortly after, Colonel Michael Randrianirina and his elite CAPSAT military unit announced that the military had taken control, dissolved most state institutions and would install a transitional government.
Randrianirina told reporters earlier Wednesday that he would soon be sworn in as President after the High Constitutional Court invited him to serve in the role
According to the statement, published on social media by a state television station today, Thursday, October 16, 2026, Randrianirina “will be sworn in as President of the Refoundation of the Republic of Madagascar during a solemn hearing of the High Constitutional Court” on October 17, 2025.
Randrianirina stated that the transition to civilian leadership would take under two years and include 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,” he said.
He pledged elections in 18 to 24 months and told local media that consultations were under way to appoint a Prime Minister and form a new government. The transition would be overseen by a committee of officers from the army, gendarmerie and police.
Rajoelina, who was impeached by lawmakers after fleeing abroad during the weekend, condemned the takeover and refused to step down despite youth-led demonstrations demanding his resignation and widespread defections in the security forces.
Randrianirina led a rebellion that sided with the protesters and ousted Rajoelina on Tuesday in the sprawling country of about 30 million people off of Africa’s east coast.
Since gaining independence from France in 1960, the country has had a history of of coups and political crises. The latest military takeover capped weeks of protests against Rajoelina and his government, led by youth groups calling themselves “Gen Z Madagascar.”
The protesters, who also included labour unions and civic groups, have demanded better government and job opportunities, echoing youth-led protests elsewhere in the world.
Among other things, the Madagascar protesters have railed against chronic water and electricity outages, limited access to higher education, government corruption and poverty, which affects roughly three out of every four Madagascans, according to the World Bank.
Randrianirina had long been a vocal critic of Rajoelina’s administration and was reportedly imprisoned for several months in 2023 for plotting a coup. His swift takeover drew international concern. The United Nations said that they were “deeply concerned by the unconstitutional change of power.”
African Union Suspends Madagascar
The African Union condemned the coup and announced the country’s suspension from the bloc.
The African Union suspended Madagascar hours after the leader of a military coup said that he would be sworn in as the country’s President.
AU Commission Chairperson, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf in a statement that the rule of law must prevail over the rule of force, noting that the suspension was with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on Wednesday, selected a panel of elders in a bid to de-escalate tensions in the former French colony.
Malawian President Peter Mutharika, Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation, said in a statement that the panel would be led by former Malawian President Joyce Banda on the mission to achieve restraint, peace and dialogue in the island nation. “No further Malagasy lives should be lost due to the unrest,” Mutharika said.
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