Madagascar’s Coup: Colonel Michael Randrianirina Declares Himself President, as African Union Suspends Nation

Colonel Michael Randrianirina, the army officer who seized power in Madagascar this week, announced he will soon be sworn in as president. This is a decision that the island nation’s political crisis is inflicting, and has prompted the African Union to suspend its membership.

Randrianirina at 42 years, emerged from the chaos of youth-led protests over crippling power cuts and water shortages, which spiraled into a full-blown revolt against President Andry Rajoelina’s government. Backed by sections of the military, the colonel marched with soldiers through Antananarivo’s Independence Avenue on Tuesday, joining crowds of chanting demonstrators calling for change.

The ousted leader, Rajoelina, fled the country over the weekend but remains defiant, rejecting what he called a “military hijack of democracy.” His fall marks a stunning reversal for a man who himself rose to power through a coup in 2009 before reinventing his image as a civilian businessman-president.