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 that the armed forces are taking power in the Indian Ocean nation in what appeared to confirm that President Andry Rajoelina had been removed in a coup.

Col. Michael Randrianirina's announcement in front of a ceremonial presidential palace in the capital, Antananarivo, came almost immediately after parliament voted to impeach Rajoelina, who has fled the country because of the rebellion by soldiers.

"We are taking power," the colonel said.

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

He also said the constitution and the powers of the High Constitutional Court had been suspended. He said a referendum would be held in two years, although the details of that were not immediately clear.

Rajoelina had faced calls to resign through weeks of anti-government demonstrations that rocked the country and were led by young Gen Z protesters.

The turning point in the protests came on Saturday when Randrianirina and troops from his elite CAPSAT military unit joined the protests and turned against Rajoelina. That prompted Rajoelina to say there was an attempt to seize power and go into hiding.

Earlier Tuesday, Rajoelina issued a decree from his secret location that dissolved the lower house of parliament, apparently to avoid being impeached. It was ignored by lawmakers and they voted overwhelmingly to impeach the 51-year-old leader.

Rajoelina’s whereabouts are unknown. He had 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 after the rebellion by soldiers over the weekend.

Madagascar, a former French colony, has a history of military-backed coups since independence in 1960, including in 2009, when Rajoelina himself first came to power as the leader of a transitional government following a military-backed coup.

The youth-led protests against Rajoelina's government 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.

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 earlier on Tuesday, packing into a main square in the capital, Antananarivo, and repeating their calls for Rajoelina to resign. They also cheered the soldiers.

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?"

CAPSAT is the same powerful military unit that turned against the government in 2009, leading to Rajoelina first coming to power. The unit had said this weekend it was taking charge of all of Madagascar's armed forces, and new heads of the military and the gendarmerie security forces have been appointed.

CAPSAT commanders had previously denied that they carried out a coup and had 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 since Saturday and Rajoelina called their rebellion against the government “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 celebrated with ordinary Madagascans in the past few days.

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Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa

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