Madagascar is set to swear in its new leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, on Friday following a swift and dramatic military coup that ousted President Andry Rajoelina and sent him fleeing the country. Randrianirina, commander of the elite CAPSAT army unit, announced he would take the oath of office before the nation’s High Constitutional Court, just three days after declaring that the armed forces had seized control of the Indian Ocean island nation of 30 million people. Preparations for the ceremony began early Friday under heavy military guard at the court complex in Antananarivo.
The coup, which followed weeks of youth-led anti-government protests, has drawn sharp condemnation from the United Nations and prompted Madagascar’s suspension from the African Union. Rajoelina’s current whereabouts remain unknown, with aides claiming he fled after receiving death threats amid the rebellion. Randrianirina, who had been little known nationally before the uprising, previously served time in detention after being accused of mutiny in late 2023.
Under his new leadership, Madagascar will be governed by a military council for an 18-month to two-year transitional period before elections are held. The development marks yet another chapter in the island’s long history of political upheaval — a country where poverty affects three-quarters of the population and where coups have repeatedly interrupted democratic rule. Randrianirina has pledged stability and reform, but the young protesters who sparked the revolution may now face a prolonged wait before returning to the ballot box.
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