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26-10-2025
ANTANANARIVO: Former Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina, who was ousted in a coup last week, has been stripped of his citizenship by the new regime.
The order, signed by new Prime Minister Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, cited local laws stipulating that people who acquired foreign citizenship should lose their Malagasy nationality.
Rajoelina, 51, obtained French citizenship a decade ago, prompting calls for his disqualification from the 2023 presidential election but he defied those calls and went on to win.
He fled the African island nation after weeks of protests over persistent power and water shortages, culminating in a military takeover led by Col Michael Randrianirina.
Rajoelina has said he has gone into hiding for his own safety, and his whereabouts remain unclear.
When he disclosed his French nationality months before Madagascar’s last presidential election, he argued he had only secretly acquired it to make things easier for his children studying in France.
In recent weeks, he had faced demonstrations initially organized by youth movement Gen Z Mada and inspired by similar anti-government protests in Nepal, which were only exacerbated when his government responded with violence.
Rajoelina sacked his energy minister and then his government but this did little to quell the calls for him to step down.
Protesters had hoped that Rajoelina would resign to pave the way for a smooth, democratic transition.
Instead, he clung to power, eventually leading to Madagascar’s elite military unit, of which Randrianirina was chief, to seize power.
He has now been sworn in and has formed a new government, pledging to hold elections within two years.
Last month, police in Madagascar were fired tear gas as hundreds of young protesters returned to the streets of the capital, despite the president agreeing to dissolve his government.
The so-called Gen-Z protests have seen thousands demonstrate in cities across Madagascar since Thursday, demanding an end to repeated water and power cuts.
President Andry Rajoelina sacked his government on Monday, but protesters responded to calls on social media for a fresh rally on Tuesday.
A message on the protest movement’s Facebook page expressed disappointment with the president’s speech, calling for him to apologize and take responsibility after protesters were killed by the security forces.
The UN’s human rights chief previously said security forces had used “unnecessary force” to quell the unrest, adding that at least 22 people were killed and 100 others injured.
Madagascar’s foreign ministry has rejected the UN’s figures, alleging the data is “based on rumors or misinformation”.
Police were deployed in and around Antananarivo on Tuesday. At one roadblock, they fired teargas to scatter a small crowd that had begun to gather, media reported.
Protests first started in Antananarivo, but have since spread to eight cities across the country.
A dusk-to-dawn curfew was imposed in Antananarivo after reports of violence and looting, with police firing rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowds.
UNCHR head Volker Turk said he was “shocked” by the security forces’ violent crackdown that he said also saw arrests, beatings and live bullets used against demonstrators. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
