An elite military unit declared Tuesday that it had assumed control of Madagascar, shortly after the National Assembly voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina on charges of desertion of duty.
Colonel Michael Randrianirina, commander of the CAPSAT unit, announced in the capital, Antananarivo, that the military will form a committee made up of officers from the army, police, and gendarmerie to carry out presidential functions.
He said a civilian government would be installed in due course.
The takeover follows weeks of mass protests and escalating political tension. Amid these developments, Rajoelina went into hiding and attempted to dissolve parliament via decree in what his critics called a last‑ditch effort to block impeachment.
Earlier on Tuesday, the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion with 130 votes in favor, well above the two‑thirds requirement in the 163‑member chamber.
The president’s office, in response, denounced the session as “devoid of any legal basis.”
CAPSAT has a long history in Madagascar’s politics. The unit played a prominent role in the 2009 coup that first brought Rajoelina to power.
According to Randrianirina, the new committee might eventually incorporate civilian advisers.
In addition to the military announcements, the Constitution has been suspended and major institutions dissolved, leaving the National Assembly as the only body still standing.
