Military leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina has been sworn in as the President of Madagascar on Friday, October 17, 2025.
Randrianirina, commander of the elite Capsat army unit, was formally sworn in as the country’s President at the High Constitutional Court (HCC) in Antananarivo.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the ascension of Madagascar’s Military leader, Colonel Randrianirina, formalizes the military’s response to a rapidly changing political and socioeconomic climate, which resulted in the swift impeachment and flight of former President Andry Rajoelina.
Recall that days ago Colonel Randrianirina announced the armed forces were taking control of the country.
The military takeover also followed three weeks of intense, anti-government demonstrations spearheaded primarily by youth activists, often referred to as “Gen Z Madagascar,” who protested chronic power and water shortages, coupled with systemic corruption and high levels of poverty.
Meanwhile, the Military leader Colonel Randrianirina appeared in a dark suit and blue tie, consciously setting aside his military camouflage during the swearing-in ceremony that took place on Friday, October 17, 2025, in the main chamber of the High Constitutional Court (HCC).
The event was framed with military pomp, featuring blaring trumpets, raised swords, and cheers from supporters.
The ceremony was also attended by military officers, politicians, representatives of the Gen Z youth-led protest movement, and several foreign delegations, including those from the United States, the European Union, Russia, and France.
The ritual saw Colonel Randrianirina taking the oath of office before the court’s nine red-robed judges.
Reading the oath, Randrianirina pledged: “I will fully, completely, and justly fulfil the high responsibilities of my position as President of the Republic of Madagascar.”
Speaking further, Randrianirina declared that his administration will address the concerns of the citizens during the Gen Z protests.
“Today marks a historic turning point for our country. With a people in full fervour, driven by the desire for change and a deep love for their homeland, we joyfully open a new chapter in the life of our nation,” Randrianirina said on Friday.
“We will work hand in hand with all the driving forces of the nation to draft a fine constitution … and to agree on new electoral laws for the organisation of elections and referendums.
“We are committed to breaking with the past. Our main mission is to thoroughly reform the country’s administrative, socioeconomic, and political systems of governance,” he added.
Randrianirina said earlier that the military had taken power and dissolved all institutions except the lower house of parliament, or National Assembly.
The Military leader Colonel Randrianirina’s unit also pledged elections in 18 to 24 months and told local media that consultations were underway to appoint a consensus prime minister.
Who is Colonel Michael Randrianirina?
Military leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina is a 51-year-old man who hails from the village of Sevohipoty in the Androy region, located on the southernmost tip of the Indian Ocean island.
His professional background includes both political administration and high-level military command.
He served as the Governor of Androy between 2016 and 2018, demonstrating early executive experience in civilian governance.
His military career saw him serve as the head of an infantry battalion in Toliara until 2022, after which he was promoted to a senior role within the elite CAPSAT unit.
This unit, which ultimately backed his rebellion, has a history of political involvement, notably facilitating the 2009 coup that originally brought the now-deposed Andry Rajoelina to power.
Over recent years, Randrianirina became a “vocal critic” of the Rajoelina administration. This internal conflict escalated significantly, leading to his “hasty arrest” on November 27, 2023.
He faced serious charges of “instigating a military mutiny and attempting a coup d’état” and was imprisoned at Tsiafahy prison.
However, his detention was brief; he was released in February 2024 after receiving a suspended sentence for attacking state security and immediately returned to his senior position within CAPSAT.
The final break occurred last weekend as Colonel Randrianirina seized the momentum provided by the youth protests. On October 11, he released a video urging Madagascar’s security forces to disobey orders to open fire on the anti-government demonstrators.
Meanwhile, Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that Madagascar is the latest of several former French colonies to have fallen under military control since 2020, after coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon, and Guinea.
It is the third military transition in Madagascar since independence from France in 1960, following coups in 1972 and in 2009.
Rajoelina’s escape is the third time a Malagasy head of state has left the country after being ousted. Didier Ratsiraka fled to France in 2002 after post-electoral violence, and Marc Ravalomanana went to South Africa in 2009.
