CAPSAT Leader Sworn In as Madagascar’s Transitional President After Impeachment

Overview

• Colonel Michael Randrianirina took the oath at the High Constitutional Court in Antananarivo to lead the transition.
• He heads CAPSAT, which asserted control minutes after lawmakers removed Andry Rajoelina for abandoning office, and he maintains this was a transfer of power rather than a coup.
• The military says a committee of army and police officers will oversee an 18–24 month transition with elections and a consensus prime minister.
• Rajoelina confirmed he left the country citing serious threats to his life, denounced the move as illegal, and refuses to resign.
• The African Union suspended Madagascar as the UN secretary-general condemned an unconstitutional change of government; youth-led protests over water and power outages since Sept. 25 have left at least 22 dead according to the UN, a toll Rajoelina disputes.