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An elite military faction announced on Tuesday that it had seized control in Madagascar after the National Assembly voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina for neglecting his duties.
The 51-year-old leader had evaded increasing calls for his resignation, going into hiding following weeks of public protests against his government on the island nation.
“We have taken power,” Colonel Michael Randrianirina, head of the CAPSAT military unit, told AFP after reading out a statement at a government building in the capital.
The faction plans to establish a committee comprised of officers from the army, gendarmerie, and national police, he said.
CAPSAT was instrumental in the 2009 coup that initially brought Rajoelina to power.
“Perhaps in time it will include senior civilian advisers. It is this committee that will carry out the work of the presidency,” Randrianirina said in his statement.
“At the same time, after a few days, we will set up a civilian government,” he said.
The announcement came just moments after the lower house of parliament voted to impeach Rajoelina, a session that the presidency dismissed as “lacking any legal basis.”
Earlier, Rajoelina had issued a decree to dissolve the National Assembly in an attempt to prevent the session from occurring.
The impeachment secured 130 votes in favour, significantly surpassing the two-thirds majority required out of the 163-member assembly.
The High Constitutional Court must ratify the vote.
Rajoelina, a former mayor of Antananarivo, said late Monday that he was in a “safe space” following attempts on his life, though he did not disclose his whereabouts.
The protests began on September 25 and reached a crucial point over the weekend when rebellious soldiers and security personnel, including members of CAPSAT, joined the demonstrators in demanding the resignation of the president and various government officials.
