Madagascar army officer who seized power says he'll become president

Kamlesh Bhuckory, Bloomberg News on Oct 16, 2025

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Military leader Michael Randrianirina will be sworn in as Madagascar’s next president on Friday, even as the African Union suspended the country and threatened to impose sanctions on anyone involved in the coup.

The inauguration ceremony for the 51-year-old colonel will be held at the headquarters of the country’s constitutional court in the capital, Antananarivo, after the top court’s acknowledgment Tuesday of the military takeover of the Indian Ocean island nation off Mozambique.

The new president will replace Andry Rajoelina, who went into hiding over the weekend after weeks of so-called Gen Z protests sparked by anger at the lack of basic services and corruption.

The power change had been legal, the colonel told reporters at a news conference in the capital Antananarivo on Thursday.

“This is not a coup d’état. There was a decision by the High Constitutional Court. That’s legal, isn’t it?” Randrianirina said. “A coup d’état is when soldiers enter the presidential palace with weapons, shoot, and there is bloodshed.”

While the constitution requires an election within 60 days, the electoral agency is “still in disarray,” and the new government would need to ensure a reliable voters’ roll before arranging a credible poll, he said. “Only after that can we move forward toward elections.”

Randrianirina said the transitional government would be led by a presidential council made up of a civilian majority.

The AU separately demanded that Madagascar’s armed forces “urgently and unconditionally uphold the principle of constitutionalism, and to refrain from further interference in the political processes,” according to a statement on its website. “Failing which the council will institute targeted sanctions against all actors involved in the military coup.”

The whereabouts of Rajoelina, who condemned the army takeover, remain unclear. Radio France International reported Monday that he had been evacuated by a French military aircraft at the request of President Emmanuel Macron. France, the former colonial power, hasn’t confirmed that it played a role.

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries on the planet, with four out of five residents living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank. It’s had several military coups since gaining independence in 1960.

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(With assistance from Fasika Tadesse.)