Colonel Michael Randrianirina, leader of the coup that ousted President Andry Rajoelina, will be sworn in as Madagascar’s interim president as early as Thursday, sources close to the transition say.
The move follows Rajoelina’s impeachment by the National Assembly amid youth-led protests over economic hardship and governance failures.
Backed by the High Constitutional Court, Randrianirina’s elite CAPSAT unit, key to Rajoelina’s 2009 rise, joined demonstrators, triggering security force defections.
Randrianirina plans a military-civilian committee to govern for up to two years before new elections, aiming to restore stability.
Rajoelina, who fled via French military aircraft on Sunday, denounced the takeover from an undisclosed location, insisting he remains president.
Protests, fueled by poverty affecting 75% of the population, celebrated the shift, though analysts warn of economic risks for the vanilla-exporting nation.
