Madagascar constitutional court declares presidency vacant, names army chief as new leader

Madagascar’s constitutional court has declared President Andry Rajoelina’s seat vacant, announcing Michael Randrianirina, commander of the elite army unit CAPSAT, as the country’s new leader.

The court’s announcement comes as the relatively peaceful country grapples with rare political turmoil.

Rajoelina was reported to have fled the country on Sunday after units of the army defected and joined the weeks-long youth-led protests.

Before his reported flight out of Madagascar, Rajoelina warned of an ongoing plot to grab power illegally.

Hours after the announcement, CAPSAT said it had taken over the leadership of the military command and is now in control of all the armed forces – land, air, and naval.

On Tuesday, members of the parliament voted overwhelmingly to impeach Rajoelina.

The president kicked against the move, saying whatever the outcome of the meeting, it would be “deemed null and void”.

However, Randrianirina later announced that CAPSAT had officially taken over the control of the Indian Ocean country.

The CAPSAT commander said he would be suspending all constitutional institutions, including the senate, the constitutional court, and the electoral commission.

He spared the lower house of parliament, which earlier voted to impeach the president.

When reporters asked if there would be elections, Randrianirina replied in the affirmative but noted that it would happen within the next “18 months to two years”.

He said Gen Z protesters would be part of the changes because “the movement was created in the streets, so we have to respect their demands”.

But CAPSAT’s suspension of the constitutional court raises questions.

The court was mandated to approve the lawmakers’ decision to impeach Rajoelina for it to take effect.

Despite the suspension, the court declared Rajoelina’s seat vacant and named Randrianirina leader.

The court asked Randrianirina to organise elections within 60 days in accordance with the law.