Madagascar military unit says it has seized power and toppled President Andry Rajoelina

An elite military unit says it has seized power from President Andry Rajoelina in Madagascar, following weeks of youth-led protests on the Indian Ocean island.

Standing in front of the Presidential Palace, CAPSAT chief Colonel Michael Randrianirina said the army would form a government and hold elections within two years. It also suspended key democratic institutions such as the electoral commission.

Gen Z protesters will be part of the changes because “the movement was created in the streets, so we must respect their demands,” he added.

Soldiers and protesters celebrate the apparent overthrow of President Rajoelina, with thousands cheering and waving flags in the capital Antananarivo.

Madagascar’s constitutional court has chosen Col Randrianirina as the country’s new leader, even though a statement from the president’s office said Col Randrianirina was still in office and condemned what it described as a “coup attempt”.

Rajoelina’s whereabouts are unknown, but he said he was sheltering in a “safe place” following an alleged assassination attempt against him by “military personnel and politicians”, with CAPSAT denying any involvement in the incident. There are unconfirmed reports that the president flew out of the country on a French military plane.

Colonel Randrianirina told the BBC that Madagascar was “a country where chaos reigns at the moment”.

“Chaos because there is no president; he went abroad.”

The unrest began about two weeks ago, following the start of a youth-led movement. To protest chronic water and power outages across the country.

The demonstrations quickly escalated, reflecting broader dissatisfaction with Rajoelina’s government over high unemployment, widespread corruption and a cost-of-living crisis.

Protesters clashed with security forces, resulting in at least 22 deaths and more than 100 injuries, according to the UN, although the Madagascar government rejected these figures and described them as based on “rumors and misinformation”.

CAPSAT, which supported Rajoelina when he came to power in 2009, also joined the protesters on Saturday.

President Rajoelina, an entrepreneur and former DF, was once seen as a new beginning for Madagascar.

The baby-faced leader became president at just 24 years old, becoming Africa’s youngest leader, and governed the country for four years before returning to power after the 2018 elections.

But he fell out of favor after denying allegations of nepotism and corruption.

He continued to try to influence events even though power seemed to have moved away from him.

Rajoelina tried to dissolve the national assembly before the opposition could vote to strip him of his presidency due to his resignation, but this did not work.

MPs voted to dismiss Rajoelina with 130 votes to one blank vote. Even members of Rajoelina’s party, IRMAR, voted overwhelmingly for his removal.

Rajoelina rejected the vote, calling it “null and void”.

The African Union (AU) warned against military “interference” in Madagascar’s political affairs and rejected “any attempt at an unconstitutional change of government”.

French President Emmanuel Macron described the situation as “extremely worrying”.

The island has experienced a series of political upheavals in recent years.

Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries, with 75 percent of its 30 million people living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.