The colonel Michael Randrianirinaleader of the attack carried out last Tuesday in Madagascar, has been invested this Friday as “president for the refoundation of the Republic of Madagascar”in a ceremony held at the headquarters of the High Constitutional Court, in the capital, Antananarivo.
Dressed with dark suit, blue tie and white shirtwithout her usual military uniform, Randrianirina has been sworn in before the court magistrates and representatives of the armed forces, officially marking the beginning of a transition stage after the fall of president Andry Rajoelina, who has fled the country.
The new leader, until now head of the Center for Administration of Personnel and Services of the Army (CAPSAT), the elite unit that led the uprising, announced on Tuesday the suppression of the Constitution and the seizure of power, in response, he said, to the crisis generated by those that have shaken the country since September 25.
The rise of a pragmatic soldier
Trained at the Antsirabe Military Academy, Michael Randrianirina has forged a career marked by discipline, strategy and a remarkable ability to move between the gears of power. Governor of the southern region of Androy between 2016 and 2018, he then went on to command an infantry battalion in Toliara, in the southwest of the country.
In 2022, your promotion within the Administrative Corps and Technical Services of the Armed Forces (CAPSAT) consolidated his influence on a key unitconsidered one of the most powerful in the Malagasy army for its control over logistics and internal management. CAPSAT, a bridge between the military and the political, has been decisive actor in both the 2009 coup d’étatwhich brought Andry Rajoelina to power, like in 2025who has evicted him to place Randrianirina at the head of the country.
The colonel lived a controversial episode in November 2023, when was it arrested for “inciting a riot”. Released shortly after with a suspended sentence, he returned to his position without major consequences. His figure definitively emerged during the recent protests, when asked security forces not to open fire on protestersdefying a direct order from the then president.
Many people demonstrate after soldiers from the Center for Army Personnel Administration (CAPSAT), led by Randrianirina, entered the Presidential Palace, seized power and suspended the Constitution in the capital Antananarivo, Madagascar.
That gesture made him a moral reference for large sectors of the army and the population and, after Rajoelina’s flight, Randrianirina articulated a triangle of military power with the general Demosthenes Pikulas In the General Staff, General Nonos Mbina Mamelison in the Gendarmerie and the commissioner Ravony Jean Victor Tsaramonina in the National Police.
“Restore stability without resorting to repression”
During her speech, Randrianirina advanced the creation of a transition council composed of representatives of the Armythe Gendarmerie and the National Policewith the possibility of including civilians. This body will have a maximum period of two years to “rebuild the foundations of the nation”.
Likewise, he has promised to hold a constitutional referendum as part of the refoundation process: “It is about returning to the Malagasy people the hope and dignity that have been taken from them.”
In subsequent statements, he has defended that what happened “it is not a coup d’état”arguing that “this implies violence by the military and bloodshed“. He has also assured that he will form a Government made up mostly of civilians, with the commitment to “restore stability without resorting to repression”.
The colonel has also confirmed his appointment as interim president and has announced that it will soon appoint a new prime ministeralthough has ruled out the possibility of holding presidential elections in the coming months, contrary to what was ruled by the Constitutional Court.
International reactions: condemnation and isolation
The international community has reacted strongly to the new president’s takeover. The United Nations spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarrichas said that the general secretary of the organization, “condemns the unconstitutional change of government in Madagascar and calls for restoration of constitutional order and the rule of law“.
Furthermore, he has stated that The UN is to “support national efforts aimed” at addressing the roots of instability in the country, a goal that has been extended to “all Malagasy actors, including young people”, who were at the forefront of the first protests.
On the other hand, he indicated that the UN envoy “takes note” of the resolution adopted on Wednesday by the African Union (AU), which suspended Madagascar from all its activities “until constitutional order is restored”. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) expressed its “alarm” and described the coup as “serious threat to peace, stability and democratic order” in the island country.
Furthermore, he highlighted that Nearly 29,000 people currently suffer from a situation of according to data from humanitarian agencies present in the area, which warn that This figure could rise to 110,000 at the beginning of 2026as a consequence of “constant increase” in malnutrition, the spread of disease and budget cuts toapplied by donor countries.
A country marked by crises
The military coup comes after weeks of protests led by young people of Generation Zfed up with constant electricity and water cuts and of the corruption of the Rajoelina governmentwho is accused of nepotism and embezzlement.
The demonstrations, which began on September 25, became a national movement demanding his resignation. The pressure in the streets culminated on Tuesday with the CAPSAT interventionwho had already participated in the 2009 coup that brought Rajoelina himself to power for the first time.
Madagascar, which has lived three coups d’état since its independence from France (1972, 1975 and 2009)now faces a new period of uncertainty. Rajoelina, from his exile, insists that he remains the legitimate president of Madagascardespite the parliamentary motion of censure and the Constitutional Court’s confirmation of the vacancy of the position.
