Madagascar’s military ruler decrees that ministers must pass lie detector tests | Madagascar
Madagascar’s military chief, after sacking the prime minister and cabinet without explanation earlier this month, said new ministers would have to undergo polygraph tests to eliminate corrupt candidates.
Michael Randrianirina came to power in a coup in October after weeks of youth-led protests under the banner “Generation Z Madagascar.” But young people quickly became disillusioned with his election of government officials whom they viewed as part of the old, corrupt elite.
Randrianirina told local media: “We have decided to use a polygraph. Background integrity checks will be carried out with this polygraph.”
The President said that the new cabinet will be announced at the beginning of next week. “We will know who is corrupt, who can help us, who will betray the youth struggle,” he said.
Malagasy youth began protesting water and electricity outages in September last year, and then demanding a complete overhaul of the political system. At least 22 people died in the first days of the protests. According to the UN.
On October 11, Capsat, the elite military unit in which Randrianirina is a colonel, took to the stage in support of the protesters. The next day, president Andry Rajoelina reportedly fled the country to Dubai on a French military plane.
Randrianirina was sworn in as interim president and promised to hold elections in late 2027. Generation Z activists are pressuring Randrianirina to confirm the date, while also criticizing her appointments for their perceived ties to the previous regime.
Randrianirina dismissed the prime minister and cabinet on March 9, then announced on Sunday that anti-corruption chief Mamitiana Rajaonarison would be the new prime minister. He said Thursday that he and Rajaonarison will only interview ministerial candidates who pass a polygraph test.
He said: “We are not looking for someone who is 100% clean, but someone who is above 60%. That way Madagascar will finally be able to develop.”
One of the administrators of Generation Z Madagascar’s social media accounts expressed skepticism about the use of lie detectors. “It hasn’t even been scientifically proven that it works,” he said. “To me it’s just a joke and it’s embarrassing.”
He added: “We agree that the previous ministers were not good. We still have hope for the new ministers, but overall I think this regime is already better than the regime of Andry Rajoelina.”
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world GDP per capita will be just $545 (£408) in 2024According to World Bank data. The island is rich in natural resources, including vanilla and precious stones, which campaigners say are being exploited by officials and corrupt businessmen. Country ranking 148 out of 180 Countries in Transparency International’s 2025 corruption perception index.
Agence-France Presse and Associated Press contributed to this report
