Madagascar’s Presidency, led by Andry Rajoelina, has revealed there is an attempt to seize power illegally and by force in the country.
After a few hours, an army unit known as CAPSAT allegedly claimed to have taken over the leadership of the military command and was now in control of all the armed forces, land, air, and naval, according to the BBC.
This unit is the same one that played a huge role in the 2009 Malagasy political crisis, which aided Rajoelina’s rise to power.
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On September 25, youth-led protests began in Madagascar due to water and power cuts. Now, they have escalated, and citizens continue to express wider dissatisfaction with Andry Rajoelina’s government over high unemployment, corruption, and the cost-of-living crisis.
For now, the whereabouts of Rajoelina are unclear. Nonetheless, he said in a statement that “there is an attempt to seize power at this time in the territory of the Republic, in complete violation of the Constitution and democratic principles,” in a translation.
Rajoelina condemned “in the strongest possible terms” what he labelled an attempt to destabilize the country.
Also, he called on all of the nation’s key forces to unite in defending the constitutional order and national sovereignty. Reports indicate that Rajoelina is expected to address the nation at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT).
CAPSAT stated that it had appointed a new army chief of staff, Gen Demosthene Pikulas, per a statement issued on its Facebook page.
According to an AFP report, armed forces minister Manantsoa Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo has accepted the appointment.
“I give him my blessing,” the minister was quoted as saying at a ceremony to install Gen Pikulas to the post. On Monday morning, the disruption caused by the protests looked to have eased in the capital, Antananarivo. A protester said they had “finally conquered May 13 Square – the Square of Democracy”.
“We’re happy and relieved. It’s a great victory. We won’t stop the struggle until President Rajoelina resigns,” the protester added.
