Madagascar’s New Military Leader Michael Randrianirina Faces AU Sanctions Threat Ahead of Swearing-In
Colonel Michael Randrianirina, the army officer who led Madagascar’s recent military takeover, will be sworn in as president on Friday, even as the African Union (AU) suspended the country and threatened sanctions over what it described as a coup.
The 51-year-old military leader is set to be inaugurated at the Constitutional Court headquarters in Antananarivo, days after the court formally acknowledged the army’s seizure of power from President Andry Rajoelina, who went into hiding following weeks of “Gen Z” protests over corruption and poor public services.
Randrianirina has rejected accusations that the power grab was illegal. “This is not a coup d’état. There was a decision by the High Constitutional Court. That’s legal, isn’t it?” he told reporters at a Thursday press conference in the capital. “A coup d’état is when soldiers enter the presidential palace with weapons, shoot, and there is bloodshed.”
While the constitution requires elections within 60 days, the new leader said a vote would only take place once credible voter lists are in place. “The electoral agency is still in disarray,” he said, adding that the transitional government would be run by “a presidential council made up of a civilian majority.”
The AU condemned the military takeover, urging Madagascar’s armed forces to “urgently and unconditionally uphold the principle of constitutionalism, and to refrain from further interference in the political processes,” warning of targeted sanctions against those involved.
Rajoelina’s whereabouts remain unclear, though reports suggest he may have been evacuated by a French military aircraft. Madagascar, one of the world’s poorest nations, has experienced multiple coups since gaining independence from France in 1960.
