Madagascar’s military has seized control of the government following the impeachment of President Andry Rajoelina for desertion of duty, dissolving all institutions except the lower house of parliament, which had voted for Rajoelina’s ouster. Earlier, Rajoelina attempted to preempt the vote by dissolving the National Assembly, claiming the move was necessary to restore order and strengthen democracy. The 51-year-old president had been forced into hiding after more than two weeks of deadly protests driven by Gen-Z demonstrators angry over utility outages and political corruption. The crisis escalated when mutinous soldiers, including the elite CAPSAT unit that helped bring Rajoelina to power in a 2009 coup, joined the demonstrations. The president reportedly fled the country aboard a French military plane, leaving Madagascar under military control.
France24
