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An army colonel who seized power in a military coup was due to be sworn in as Madagascar’s new leader on Friday, after a lightning-quick power grab ousted the president and sent him fleeing the country into hiding.
Colonel Michael Randrianarina, commander of an elite army unit, will take the oath of office at the country’s High Constitutional Court, he said in a statement published on state media.
His ascension to the presidency would come just three days after he announced that the armed forces were taking power over the vast region. Indian Ocean Island of about 30 million people off the east coast of Africa.
Preparations were being made at the court buildings early Friday, with soldiers guarding the entrances and officers beginning to arrive. It appeared that the Colonel would take oath in the main hall of the Supreme Court.
The military takeover – which followed three weeks of anti-government protests by mainly young people – has been condemned united nations and Madagascar was suspended from African union.
The whereabouts of President Andrés Rajoelina are unknown, as he left the country claiming his life was in danger following a mutiny by troops loyal to Randrianarina.
Randrianarina, who had emerged from relative obscurity to lead a rebellion by his Capsat military unit, had been briefly jailed for an attempted rebellion two years earlier. He said he spent most of the three months he was detained in late 2023 and early 2024 in a military hospital.
Madagascar has a high poverty rate, affecting approximately 75% of the population, according to world bankIt also has a tumultuous history of political instability including several coups and coup attempts.
Rajoelina himself came to power as a transitional leader after a military-backed coup in 2009.
Randrianarina has said Madagascar will be run by a military council, with him remaining president for 18 months to two years before any new elections are held, meaning the youth who inspired the rebellion against Rajoelina may have to wait longer before choosing their new leader.
The protests that began last month have echoed other Gen Z-led uprisings in Nepal, Sri Lanka and elsewhere. Young Madagascar first took to the streets last month against regular water and electricity cuts, but they have also raised other issues including the cost of living, lack of opportunities and alleged corruption and nepotism by the elite.
Randrianari gained momentum last weekend by turning against Rajoelina and joining anti-government protests calling on the president and government ministers to step down. A brief skirmish broke out between his troops and members of gendarmerie security forces loyal to Rajoelina, during which a Capsat soldier was killed, the colonel said.
But there has been no major violence in the streets and Randrianari’s troops have been cheered and Madagascans have celebrated their takeover.
Randrianarina said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday that the military takeover was a move to “take responsibility as citizens and patriots.”
“From now on, we will restore the country to its former glory, fight against insecurity, and gradually try to solve the social problems experienced by the Malagasy people,” the colonel said in an interview in his unit’s barracks.
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Imre reported from Cape Town, South Africa.
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More AP news on Madagascar: https://apnews.com/hub/madagascar