A military officer in camouflage uniform seated in a vehicle, reviewing documents, highlighting security and defense themes.
Madagascar’s military leader is taking an unconventional approach to rooting out corruption: lie detector tests to conduct background integrity checks for incoming ministers. After seizing power in an October coup backed by youth protesters, President Michael Randrianirina dismissed his entire cabinet earlier this month and now vows that only candidates passing polygraph exams, with a minimum score of 60 percent, will secure positions. The move aims to satisfy Gen Z activists who ousted the previous regime but remain skeptical of the new government’s old-guard appointments. While the president insists the tests will expose corruption, youth leaders question the science behind them. With elections promised by late 2027 and a nation weary of broken promises, all eyes are on whether this unusual strategy delivers real change or merely more political theater.
The Guardian