Madagascar’s President Rajoelina flees, military seizes power

ANTANANARIVO/NAIROBI: Madagascar’s military said on Tuesday that it has seized power after President Andry Rajoelina fled the country.

The CAPSAT unit said that it has suspended key democratic institutions, including the constitutional court and the electoral commission. It promised elections within two years after a transition period.

“The renovation period will last a maximum of two years. During this time, a referendum will be held to establish a new Constitution, followed by elections to gradually set up the new institutions,” Colonel Michael Randrianirina, commander of an elite army unit told reporters.

Andry Rajoelina, once hailed as the face of youthful change, fled the country after a Gen-Z-led uprising turned against him.

The former DJ and three-time president, who first seized power in a 2009 coup at the age of 34, faced mounting anger over economic decline, corruption, and unfulfilled promises. The military unit that once backed his rise has now joined the demonstrations demanding his ouster.

Rajoelina, known by his nickname “TGV” — after the French high-speed train — had built his early political appeal on dynamism and charisma. But 16 years later, protesters accuse him of betraying the very youth who once brought him to power.

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Once praised for his pledge to lift living standards, Rajoelina presided over worsening poverty and economic stagnation. According to the World Bank, Madagascar’s GDP per capita has nearly halved since independence, while three-quarters of the population live in extreme poverty.

He reportedly fled aboard a French military jet, claiming an “attempted coup” by soldiers sympathetic to the demonstrators.

A Fall From Grace

Rajoelina, the son of a former army colonel, rose to prominence as a radio host and events promoter before entering politics. His party, Tanora MalaGasy Vonona (Young Malagasys Determined), swept him to the mayorship of Antananarivo in 2007.

However, his later years in power were marred by corruption scandals and eccentric decisions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he promoted a herbal tonic as a cure without scientific proof. In 2022, he even proposed importing African wildlife to boost tourism — a plan that never materialised.

In 2023, his re-election sparked widespread protests amid opposition claims of electoral irregularities and anger over his French citizenship, acquired a decade earlier.

Transparency International ranked Madagascar 140th out of 180 countries in its 2024 corruption index, down from 118 in 2012.

On Monday, Rajoelina appeared briefly in a Facebook address, saying he had moved to a “safe location” for his own protection and vowing not to “let Madagascar be destroyed.”

Opposition lawmakers have since called for his impeachment, though his party still holds a parliamentary majority.

“Whatever the outcome of this crisis, Rajoelina’s legacy is already defined,” said Ketakandriana Rafitoson, Transparency International’s global vice-chair. “His rule has left the country weaker, poorer, and more unequal.”

On the streets of the capital, protesters voiced disillusionment.

“We gave him a chance,” said 27-year-old market trader Nanou Rakoto. “Life in Madagascar is so hard. We just need someone who listens.”