Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The African Union (AU) has suspended Madagascar after a coup to remove President Andry Rajoelina. Military leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina has been sworn in as the new President. He led a rebellion that sided with the protesters and ousted Rajoelina on October 14 in the sprawling country of about 30 million people off Africa’s east coast.
Since gaining independence from France in 1960, the country has had a history 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. Although some suggest the military seized power on the backs of the civilian protesters, demonstrators cheered Randrianirina and other soldiers from his elite CAPSAT unit as they triumphantly rode through the streets of the capital Antananarivo. The colonel has promised elections in two years, Al Jazeera reported.
The protests reached a turning point when Randrianirina and soldiers from his unit sided with the demonstrators calling for the president to resign. Rajoelina said he fled to an undisclosed country because he feared for his life. Randrianirina had long been a vocal critic of Rajoelina’s administration and was reportedly imprisoned for several months in 2023 for plotting a coup.
