# Rajoelina tries to dissolve Madagascar parliament after fleeing amid military takeover
Event date: 2025-10-14
Madagascar’s president, Andry Rajoelina, tried to dissolve the National Assembly by decree after fleeing the country in fear for his life, but lawmakers ignored the move and voted to remove him as the military said it was taking control.
The AP report describes a fast-moving collapse of civilian authority in Antananarivo, the capital, after weeks of youth-led protests over poverty, power cuts and a lack of opportunity. Rajoelina had already left Madagascar for what he called a "safe place" after a military rebellion, and his office later issued a statement condemning the armed forces’ intervention as an illegal act.
From an undisclosed location, Rajoelina issued a decree attempting to dissolve parliament’s lower house before the impeachment vote. That effort did not stop lawmakers from proceeding. The AP says they voted overwhelmingly to end the rule of the 51-year-old leader.
The turning point came when CAPSAT, Madagascar’s elite military unit, sided with protesters and turned against the president. Col. Michael Randrianirina told reporters the armed forces would form a council made up of officers from the army and the gendarmerie and would appoint a prime minister to quickly form a civilian government. He also said the constitution and the High Constitutional Court’s powers had been suspended and that a referendum would be held in two years.
The events marked the latest chapter in a country with a long history of political instability. Rajoelina himself first came to power in 2009 after a military-backed coup, and CAPSAT is the same unit that turned against the government then and helped him ascend.
The protests that fed the crisis began over electricity and water outages, but broadened into a wider rejection of governance, corruption and economic hardship. The AP says about 75% of Madagascar’s population lives in poverty, and the anger has been especially intense among younger citizens who see their prospects shrinking.
The rebellion spread quickly enough that the armed forces appeared to be in command of key decisions even before the impeachment. New heads of the military and the gendarmerie were appointed, and CAPSAT commanders had already been acting as if they held authority.
For Madagascar, the immediate challenge is not only who leads the state, but whether any civilian framework can be restored after a coup that has effectively hollowed out the presidency, parliament and constitutional system at the same time.
