In a dramatic turn of events, an elite military unit in Madagascar, CAPSAT, announced Tuesday that it has taken control of the government, just moments after the country’s National Assembly voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina for desertion of duty.
The move comes amid escalating political unrest and weeks of mass protests across the island nation. President Rajoelina, 51, reportedly went into hiding following mounting calls for his resignation.
“We have taken power,” declared Colonel Michael Randrianirina, head of the CAPSAT unit, in a statement broadcast from a government building in the capital, Antananarivo.
Military-Led Transition Announced
Colonel Randrianirina said the military will form a governing committee comprising officers from the army, gendarmerie, and national police. While the military now holds executive control, he added that a civilian-led government would be established “after a few days.”
“Perhaps in time, it will include senior civilian advisers. It is this committee that will carry out the work of the presidency,” Randrianirina said.
This marks a critical shift in power in Madagascar, a country with a history of political instability. Notably, CAPSAT also played a central role in the 2009 coup that originally brought Rajoelina to power as a transitional leader.
Impeachment Vote Triggers Power Grab
Earlier on Tuesday, Madagascar’s lower house of parliament voted overwhelmingly — 130 out of 163 members — to impeach Rajoelina, surpassing the two-thirds threshold required by the constitution. The presidency had already dismissed the session as “devoid of any legal basis” and Rajoelina had attempted to dissolve the National Assembly by decree in a last-ditch effort to block the vote.
The High Constitutional Court must still validate the impeachment for it to be officially binding, though the military appears to have preempted that process.
Tensions Peak After Weeks of Protest
The political crisis has been escalating since September 25, when mass anti-government protests erupted across the country. Demonstrators accused the president of abandoning his constitutional duties and demanded his resignation.
The situation reached a boiling point over the weekend when mutinous elements of the security forces — including CAPSAT — joined the protesters, calling for a complete overhaul of government leadership.
Protesters, chanting national songs and raising their fists, gathered again in Antananarivo on Monday to pay tribute to victims of the unrest and demand democratic reform.
Rajoelina, in a statement late Monday, said he was sheltering in a “safe space” following what he described as attempts on his life, but did not disclose his location.
