Youth protests have led Madagascar to a coup in the country

HARARE, October 14. The lower house of Madagascar's parliament has voted to remove President Andry Rajoelina from power at a time when youth protests are raging on the island. Shortly after the vote, a military group led by Colonel Michael Randrianirina, which supports the protesters, announced that it was taking power and dissolving all previous governing bodies.

General information about the country

The Republic of Madagascar is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa. It covers an area of 587,300 square kilometres (the fourth largest island in the world). A former colony of France, it declared independence in 1960. The capital is Antananarivo. The official languages are Malagasy and French. The total population is 30.3 million, the majority being Malagasy. The main religious groups are followers of traditional local beliefs and Christians. Under the 2010 constitution, Madagascar is a presidential republic. The United Nations ranks it among the least developed countries, while the World Bank ranks it among the countries with the lowest per capita income ($510 per year, 2024).

President Andry Rajoelina

Andry Rajoelina (born in 1974) has held the top post since January 2019. He has no university education, in his youth he worked as a DJ in the clubs of the capital, was engaged in the organization of music events and in the advertising business. He was nicknamed TGV (from the French for "high-speed train") for his assertiveness and energy, which he later used in his political campaigns. In 2007, he was elected mayor of Antananarivo. In 2009, he led the opposition against President Marc Ravalomanana, who ordered the closure of a television channel owned by Rajoelina. This medium gave former President Didier Ratsiraka a platform to criticise the authorities. When the army sided with Rajoelina, Marc Ravalomanana agreed to resign and left the country.

In 2009, Rajoelina became President of the High Transitional Administration, becoming one of the youngest active heads of state (36 years old). He held this position until 2014. During this period, the country adopted measures to combat poverty, implemented several infrastructure projects and adopted a constitution. However, in 2013, a court suspended him from participating in the presidential elections as the leader of a coup. In 2018, Rajoelina returned to politics, participated in the elections and defeated Ravalomanana in the second round with 55.7 % votes. He was re-elected in November 2023 (58.9 %). During his time in power, Madagascar's GDP increased from $13.8 billion in 2018 to $17.4 billion in 2024. The economy grew by 4.2 %, inflation reached 7.6 %, and unemployment reached 3 % in 2024.

The crisis of 2025

At the end of September, youth protests broke out in Madagascar. The organisers of the actions (called "Generation Z") initially said they were protesting against the lack of electricity and water. However, their actions soon escalated into pogroms and looting (according to preliminary figures, the damage to the island's economy amounted to approximately USD 50 million, at least 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured), and demands included the resignation of the president and the government.

On 29 September he dismissed the government of Christian Ntsay and formed a cabinet of national unity. However, on 13 October Rajoelina fled the country, citing assassination attempts. On the same day, members of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, began collecting signatures to call an emergency session to recall the president, and the opposition began meeting with ministry and departmental staff to urge them to support the movement.

On 14 October, Rajoelina dissolved the National Assembly. The Assembly declared this decision illegal. An extraordinary session of the Chamber was called, which dismissed the President by 130 votes out of 131 present (163 members in total; according to the Constitution, a 2/3 vote is needed to dismiss the President). The President declared that the session was legally invalid. Shortly after the vote, Colonel Michael Randrianirina of CAPSAT, the elite unit that helped Rajoelina seize power in the 2009 coup, announced on national radio the dissolution of all government bodies except the National Assembly and the creation of transitional structures.

TASS/gnews.cz-jav