An elite military unit in Madagascar says it has seized power, ousting the country’s embattled President Andry Rajoelina
CAPSAT has suspended key democratic institutions but has promised elections within two years.
Madagascar’s constitutional court named the unit’s commander Col Michael Randrianirina as the country’s new leader, but the president’s office insists Rajoelina is still in charge
Lawmakers earlier voted to impeach Rajoelina, which he rejected as “null and void”
His whereabouts are unclear – there are reports he has fled the country on a French military plane. He said he was sheltering in a “safe place” after an attempt on his life
Madagascar has been rocked by weeks of protests – here’s why young people have been demonstrating against Rajoelina’s rule.
Before today, there have been three military takeovers in Madagascar since independence in 1960:
1972 – Economic stagnation triggers protests leading founding President Philibert Tsiranana to hand over power to a military council
1975 – Lt-Com Didier Ratsiraka is named head of state after a coup. He is then elected president for a seven-year term
2009 – Protests build in the capital, Antananarivo, against President Marc Ravalomanana. He is overthrown by the military, and opposition leader and city mayor Andry Rajoelina assumes power with the army’s backing
Courtesy: BBC
