Madagascar's president rose to power off youth discontent and was taken down by it

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JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Andry Rajoelina was a young, man-of-the-people mayor when he led popular protests against the Madagascar government 16 years ago.

The uprising resulted in a military-backed coup that brought Rajoelina to power as the transitional leader of his Indian Ocean country at the age of just 34.

He then left the role in 2014 but returned to the presidency in 2019 through elections.

On Tuesday, the same military unit that aided Rajoelina's rise declared it was taking power in Madagascar and ousting him as president following weeks of youth-led protests — this time against Rajoelina and his government.

Here's what to know about Rajoelina's rise and fall, and how the military and the youth were pivotal in both.

Rajoelina, whose father was a Madagascar army colonel, chose a different path and bought television and radio stations as a young entrepreneur in 2007.

He leveraged his popularity with young people as a radio DJ to form his own political party, Determined Malagasy Youth, and by the end of the year he was elected as mayor of the capital, Antananarivo.

At its inception, his party's message of transparency on public spending, infrastructure development and economic reforms resonated with the disenfranchised youth of Madagascar, a country that the World Bank ranks as one of the poorest in the world.

Its anti-establishment posture enjoyed public support among the youth and eventually among the country's military elite, propelling him to high office.

In 2009, his party led youth protests against then former president Marc Ravalomanana's government.

Widespread discontent with Ravalomanana's government over allegations of corruption, inequality and authoritarianism saw protests which ran from January through to March 2009, culminating in the violent torching of government buildings.

Backed by the military, the youth protests spurred Ravalomanana to flee to South Africa. Rajoelina took over as transitional president.

He leveraged his media profile and popularity to spread his anti-government messaging, which resonated with mostly young people.

From there, his ascent to the very top of Madagascan politics was swift.

After the military seized power from Ravalomanana, Rajoelina was appointed transitional president and served from 2009 to 2014, but he faced international isolation and sanctions.

He stepped down in 2014 but returned as president after winning the 2018 elections. His opponents say he has not bettered the lives of his countrymen during his tenure.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rajoelina controversially promoted a tonic that he claimed would cure the illness.

Despite warnings from the World Health Organization against the use of scientifically unproven remedies, Rajoelina distributed the herbal concoction in schools around the capital, Antananarivo, and claimed it had helped reduce cases.

He remained steadfast on his stance about the remedy even when though more than 1,400 people died from the disease in Madagascar between 2020 and 2023.

His COVID pandemic response became a divisive issue, eliciting a sense of pride for a somewhat homegrown remedy but drawing criticism from analysts and the health sector.

When protests over water and power cuts took place in the capital three weeks ago, Rajoelina was attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

But he returned to a capital where some shops had been looted and a few newly-installed cable car stations had been torched.

Anger over the water and power cuts expanded to wider issues like corruption and nepotism in government.

Like the youth movement that he led to topple Ravalomanana, the Gen Z movement received the backing of the military and rejected Rajoelina, refusing any form of dialogue and demanding his resignation.

About 75% of the country’s 30 million people are affected by poverty, according to the World Bank, with lack of access to higher education, government corruption and the cost of living among the issues dominating the recent protests.

Civil society groups, unions and government workers also joined the protests that led to Rajoelina's removal, indicating discontent beyond just the young population.

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