Madagascar has sworn in military leader Michael Randrianirina as its new president, days after a military coup that ended weeks of widespread youth-led protests in the Indian Ocean nation.
He replaces ousted President Andry Rajoelina, who fled the country and was later impeached following demonstrations against worsening economic conditions and governance failures.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Constitutional Court in the capital, Antananarivo, where a large crowd gathered, including protest leaders, military officers, and foreign diplomats.
The inauguration, however, defied the African Union (AU), which suspended Madagascar’s membership in response to the military seizure of power.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the youth-led demonstrations over crippling water and power shortages had turned violent, leaving at least 22 people dead and more than 100 injured, according to the United Nations.
“Today marks a historic turning point for our country,” Mr Randrianirina declared in his inaugural speech, AL Jazeera reports. “With a people united by the desire for change and a deep love for their homeland, we open a new chapter in our nation’s history.”
The new president pledged to collaborate with civil society and political actors to draft a new constitution and electoral laws to guide fresh elections and referendums. He also praised the youth movement for its role in the uprising that brought down the previous administration.
“We are committed to breaking with the past,” he said. “Our mission is to reform Madagascar’s administrative, socio-economic, and political systems for the benefit of all.”
Following the takeover, the military dissolved most state institutions except the National Assembly.
Despite mounting criticism from international organisations, including the United Nations, Mr Randrianirina denied staging a coup, citing the Constitutional Court’s endorsement of his presidency as evidence of legitimacy.
Supporters of the deposed president have rejected the court’s ruling as unconstitutional, warning it could deepen the political instability in the former French colony.
Media reports said Mr Rajoelina was evacuated on Sunday aboard a French military aircraft to the French island of Réunion before travelling to Dubai.
Madagascar now joins a growing list of former French colonies that have experienced military rule since 2020, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon, and Guinea.
This is the third military-led transition in Madagascar since independence from France in 1960, following coups in 1972 and 2009. Despite its wealth of natural resources and biodiversity, the country remains one of the poorest in the world, with about 80 per cent of its 32 million citizens living in poverty, according to the World Bank.
Mr Rajoelina’s flight into exile makes him the third Malagasy leader to do so after being ousted, following Didier Ratsiraka in 2002 and Marc Ravalomanana in 2009.