Colonel Michael Randrianirina has said a transitional administration will run the country for up to two years before elections are held<\/p>\n
Madagascar\u2019s army chief has been sworn in as president following the overthrow of President Andry Rajoelina, an event that has prompted the suspension of the southern African country from the African Union (AU).
\nColonel Michael Randrianirina was sworn in Friday morning at the High Constitutional Court in Antananarivo before a large crowd. Delegations from the US, the European Union, Russia, and France also attended, according to Al Jazeera.
\n\u201cI will fully, completely, and justly fulfill the high responsibilities of my position as president \u2026 of Madagascar,\u201d Reuters quoted Randrianirina as saying at the ceremony.
\nHe also vowed to dedicate his \u201cstrength to defending and strengthening national unity and human rights.\u201d\u00a0
\nThe inauguration came three days after Randrianirina announced the army\u2019s takeover following weeks of youth-led protests over economic hardship and chronic power outages. Events escalated when elite CAPSAT soldiers denounced alleged repression and sided with the demonstrators. The CAPSAT unit had previously helped bring President Rajoelina to power in a 2009 coup before he later won the presidency in 2018 and was reelected in 2023.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: African Union suspends Madagascar<\/p>\n
Rajoelina, who fled the country last weekend, citing threats to his safety, was impeached by parliament on Tuesday. Hours later, the Constitutional Court declared a power vacuum and invited Randrianirina to take the presidency.
\nThe ousted leader has \u201cstrongly\u201d denounced the court\u2019s decision as \u201cunfounded\u201d and criticized \u201cthe forceful seizure of power by a military faction.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Gen Z revolt and military mutiny in Madagascar: What we know so far<\/p>\n
The AU on Wednesday suspended Madagascar\u2019s membership, denouncing the October 14 takeover as an unconstitutional change of government and barring the country from all activities until constitutional order is restored. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has equally criticized the coup, saying the global body stands ready to support Madagascar\u2019s return to civilian rule. The Southern African Development Community and the AU have said they will send a fact-finding mission to support inclusive dialogue and a swift return to democratic governance in the country.
\nThe move adds Madagascar to the list of former French colonies under military rule, including Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. Randrianirina has said a military-led committee and transitional administration would steer the country for up to two years before elections are held.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Colonel Michael Randrianirina has said a transitional administration will run the country for up to two years before elections are held Madagascar\u2019s army chief has been sworn in as president…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20565,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t