Military colonel announces that the armed forces are taking control in Madagascar

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ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — A colonel in an elite military unit in Madagascar said Tuesday the armed forces are taking power in the Indian Ocean nation.

His announcement came almost immediately after parliament voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina, who has fled the country because of the rebellion by soldiers.

Col. Michael Randrianirina said in front of reporters that the military would form a council composed of officers from the army and the gendarmerie law enforcement force. A prime minister would be appointed to “quickly” form a civilian government, he said.

It appeared to spell the end of Rajoelina’s seven years as leader of the country.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina dissolved the lower house of parliament on Tuesday, deepening the political crisis in the Indian Ocean island nation after a military rebellion led him to flee the country and go into hiding.

Rajoelina issued a decree for the National Assembly to be dissolved immediately, according to a statement posted on the Madagascar presidency’s Facebook page.

Rajoelina’s whereabouts are unknown after an elite military unit joined youth-led anti-government protests over the weekend and called for him to step down in an apparent coup attempt. The 51-year-old president said in a speech broadcast on social media on Monday night that he left the country for a "safe place" in fear for his life. He didn't say where he was.

Madagascar has been rocked by weeks of demonstrations led by Gen Z protesters.

The youth-led protests first erupted last month over electricity and water outages but have snowballed into larger dissatisfaction with the government and the leadership of Rajoelina. Protesters have brought up a range of issues, including poverty and the cost of living, access to tertiary education, and alleged corruption by government officials and their families and associates.

Rajoelina's decision to dissolve the National Assembly came while lawmakers were meeting to discuss possible impeachment proceedings to remove him as president on the basis that he was not in the country to fulfil his role. By dissolving the National Assembly, Rajoelina effectively moved to block any impeachment proceedings.

It wasn't immediately clear if Rajoelina's decree would be respected or what the implications would be, but it was seen as a move by him to reassert his authority.

Madagascar — a former French colony with a history of military-backed coups since independence in 1960 — is in the midst of its worst political crisis since 2009, when Rajoelina himself first came to power as the leader of a transitional government following a coup.

In that uprising, Rajoelina had led large anti-government protests that led to then-President Marc Ravalomanana losing power and going into exile.

Rajoelina has faced weeks of pressure to resign from Gen Z protesters who first took to the streets on Sept. 25. The protesters have said they were inspired by other Gen Z-led movements of frustrated youth that toppled leaders in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Thousands of young protesters continued their anti-government demonstrations in Madagascar on Tuesday by packing into a main square in the capital, Antananarivo, and repeating their calls for Rajoelina to resign.

Madagascar has deep problems with poverty, which affects around 75% of the population of 31 million people, according to the World Bank.

“We do not get a constant supply of electricity and water from the government," said one protester, Soavololona Faraniaina. “If Madagascan children are studying in darkness where will the future of this nation be? Where is the wealthy Madagascar that many countries envied?"

A pivotal point in the protests came on Saturday when soldiers from the elite CAPSAT military unit turned against Rajoelina and joined the protests. CAPSAT is the same powerful military unit that turned against the government in 2009, leading to Rajoelina first coming to power.

The unit says it is now in charge of all of Madagascar's armed forces, and new heads of the military and the gendarmerie security forces have been appointed.

CAPSAT commanders denied that they have carried out a coup and said Madagascar's people should decide what happens next, but the unit appeared to be in a position of authority in some areas of government decision-making and Rajoelina has said there has been “an attempt to seize power illegally and by force.”

There was no major violence on the streets — and soldiers riding around on armored cars have been cheered by ordinary Madagascans — but the situation was still volatile.

In his speech on Facebook from a secret location late Monday, Rajoelina said the constitution should be respected, pushing back against demands that he step down. A former mayor of the capital, he was first elected president in 2018 and was reelected in 2023.

His speech to Madagascar's people was meant to also be broadcast on state television and radio but was only shown on social media after soldiers arrived at the state broadcaster's buildings shortly before the planned broadcast.

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Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa