Colonel Michael Randrianirina, a 51-year-old officer from the southern village of Sevohipoty in the Androy region, has emerged as Madagascar’s new leader after spearheading a military coup that ousted President Andry Rajoelina. His rise comes in the wake of weeks of Gen Z–driven protests that swept through the nation, forcing Rajoelina to flee. Randrianirina commands the elite CAPSAT military unit — the same force that helped bring Rajoelina to power during the 2009 coup.

Since assuming control, Randrianirina has suspended key state institutions, including the Senate, the electoral commission, and the High Constitutional Court, which had earlier endorsed his interim presidency. Declaring that elections could be delayed for up to two years, he has positioned the armed forces as guardians of a transitional government. His defiance of the former administration was long in the making — in 2023, he was arrested and jailed for allegedly inciting a military revolt, only to be released months later with a suspended sentence.

Before his coup, Randrianirina had served as governor of Androy from 2016 to 2018 and later commanded an infantry battalion in Toliara until 2022. In October 2024, as anti-government protests intensified, he publicly urged security forces to refuse orders to shoot demonstrators, a move that won him grassroots support and sparked defections within the army. Now, as he consolidates power, Madagascar faces yet another uncertain chapter under military rule.

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