As soon as the president was impeached following the 'Gen Z (born in the mid-to-late 1990s to early 2000s) protests,' the head of Madagascar's military, who seized control of the government, announced on October 15 (local time) that he would soon be inaugurated as president.
According to Reuters, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, commander of the army's elite CAPSATS unit, stated at a press conference that day, "Since yesterday, we have taken responsibility for governing the country," and announced his intention to assume the presidency.
Two military sources told Reuters that Colonel Randrianirina will be inaugurated as president within two days. In an interview with the Associated Press, Colonel Randrianirina said he would be inaugurated as the next president within a few days and would expedite the appointment of a new prime minister.
Colonel Randrianirina declared the seizure of power in front of the presidential palace immediately after the parliament voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina, who fled abroad over the weekend. He announced the military's plan for interim rule, stating that all state institutions except the parliament would be dissolved. He also said that, until elections are held, a coalition of the parliament, government, and judiciary would govern the country for a transitional period of up to two years.
The Constitutional Court issued a separate statement urging Colonel Randrianirina to exercise the powers of the head of state.
President Rajoelina has insisted that the impeachment process was illegal and that he would continue in office, but he has effectively been ousted. According to sources, President Rajoelina escaped Madagascar on October 12 aboard a French military aircraft and is currently believed to be in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The citizens of Madagascar, who drove the president's impeachment through anti-government protests that began on September 25, took to the streets the previous day to celebrate their political victory.
Since September 25, protests led by Gen Z have erupted in the capital Antananarivo and other cities, sparked by frequent water and power outages and expanding into nationwide demonstrations demanding the president's resignation. CAPSATS played a key role in the 2009 anti-government protests that brought President Rajoelina to power, but this time, under Colonel Randrianirina's leadership, the unit refused orders to suppress the demonstrations and joined the protesters to seize control of the government.
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