Madagascar strongman sacks government after just 5 months
March 10, 2026
Madagascar's military leader and interim president, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, has sacked his prime minister and dissolved the Cabinet just five months after seizing power on the back of youth-led protests against the former government in Antananarivo.
The colonel had chosen a private sector businessman, Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, as prime minister after former President Andry Rajoelina fled last October.
A presidential spokesperson said in a statement published late on Monday that Randrianirina "announces that, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, the government is suspended from its duties."
They said that a new prime minister would be appointed "shortly," without providing a timeline or a reason for the dismissals.
The now-dismissed Cabinet had been made up of a mixture of civilian ministers, some military officials, and some critics of Rajoelina. It was sworn in as recently as October 28.
Military leader rejects notion of 'coup,' promises presidential elections next year
Colonel Randrianirina came to power following demonstrations that began last September in response to water and power shortages but which soon snowballed into anti-government protests that the Rajoelina administration tried and failed to violently suppress.
He rejects the term "coup," and uses the title President of the Refoundation of the Republic. Randrianirina says that the Constitutional Court "transferred power" to him, and promises a two-year transition period.
"The main objectives of my term, which will last a maximum of two years, are to find concrete solutions for the people," Randrianirina had said when announcing the new government.
In February, he announced a program scheduling consultations on constitutional reform through 2026, and a presidential election in the last quarter of 2027.
Diplomatic trips to Russia and France
These domestic announcements coincided with efforts to step onto the international stage in February, with visits both to Vladimir Putin in Russia and to Emmanuel Macron in Madagascar's former colonial power France.
He hailed a "new era of cooperation" in Moscow and a "renewed" but "balanced" partnership with Paris, with French antipathy a strong focal point of the protests against the previous government.
Monday's announcement of the dissolution of the government also came a few hours before the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) was scheduled to convene its fourth meeting on Madagascar since October's tumult.
Madagascar had experienced three prior coups d'etat since its independence from France in 1960: in 1972, 1975, and 2009.
Edited by: Louis Oelofse