Colonel Michael Randrianirina has been sworn in as Madagascar’s President, just days after a military takeover on the back of a popular rebellion that sent President Andry Rajoelina fleeing into exile.
This comes as Madagascar’s High Constitutional Court formalised the appointment of Colonel Michael Randrianirina in a ceremony, crowning a tumultuous week in which Rajoelina was impeached for desertion of duty on Tuesday, with the military stepping in.
The ceremony was attended by military officers, politicians, representatives of the Gen Z youth-led protest movement and several foreign delegations, including from the United States, the European Union, Russia and France.
Speaking at the ceremony, Randrianirina hailed the day as “a historic turning point” for the country. “With a people in full fervour, driven by the desire for change and a deep love for their homeland, we joyfully open a new chapter in the life of our nation,” he said.
“We will work hand in hand with all the driving forces of the nation to draft a fine constitution … and to agree on new electoral laws for the organisation of elections and referendums…
“We are committed to breaking with the past. Our main mission is to thoroughly reform the country’s administrative, socioeconomic and political systems of governance.”
Colonel Michael Randrianirina
Randrianirina said earlier that the military had taken power and dissolved all institutions except the lower house of parliament, or National Assembly.
The 51-year-old Commander of the CAPSAT unit has pledged elections in 18 to 24 months and told local media that consultations were under way to appoint a consensus Prime Minister.
Amid international criticism, including from the United Nations, Randrianirina denied that he had initiated a coup, pointing to the constitutional court’s backing of his new role.
Madagascar is the latest of several former French colonies to have fallen under military control since 2020, after coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon, and Guinea.
It is the third military transition in Madagascar since independence from France in 1960, following coups in 1972 and in 2009.
The country is one of the poorest in the world, despite an abundance of natural resources and a rich biodiversity. About 80 percent of its roughly 32 million people live in poverty, according to the World Bank’s benchmark.
Support For Colonel Michael Randrianirina As Madagascar’s President Criticised
Meanwhile, Rajoelina’s camp condemned the constitutional court’s support of Colonel Michael Randrianirina, the CAPSAT Commander as riddled with procedural illegalities that risked destabilising the former French colony.
It has insisted that Rajoelina remain the leader and was working to find solutions to the problems dogging the impoverished island, which prompted the youth-led protest movement on September 25, 2025.
Mass demonstrations in recent weeks over power and water shortages turned deadly, with the United Nations reporting that at least 22 people have been killed and more than 100 others were injured.
Government forces were accused of a harsh crackdown on the protesters, with many reported dead or wounded, until CAPSAT announced on October 11 that it would refuse orders to shoot at them.
The statement was a turning point in the uprising, with the unit hailed by the protest movement, which is now expecting a role in the new set-up.
Rajoelina’s office confirmed in a statement late Wednesday that he fled the country the same weekend CAPSAT stood behind the protesters, saying he feared for his life.
Rajoelina’s escape is the third time a Malagasy Head of state has left the country after being ousted. Didier Ratsiraka fled to France in 2002 after post-electoral violence, and Marc Ravalomanana went to South Africa in 2009.
