Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina: From Coup to Popular Rejection

The Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina, who first came to power in 2009 through a coup d'état, is now facing calls for his resignation from a youth-led movement supported by a military unit.

On Saturday, this unit, the CAPSAT (Corps of Army Personnel and Administrative and Technical Services), based on the outskirts of the capital Antananarivo, sided with the protesters who have been demonstrating for over two weeks in Madagascar.

"An illegal and forceful attempt to seize power, contrary to the constitution and democratic principles, is currently underway in the national territory," denounced Mr. Rajoelina, 51, president of one of the poorest countries on the planet, in a statement on Sunday.

Rise to Power

Appointed mayor of the capital in 2007 at just 35 years old, Andry Rajoelina quickly established himself as the leading voice of the opposition, denouncing violations of freedoms under the then-president, Marc Ravalomanana.

In early 2009, he gathered more than 20,000 people in the capital during a sometimes violent protest, challenging the government with the tacit support of the military.

In January and February 2009, demonstrations and clashes with the presidential guard resulted in around a hundred deaths. Losing the military's support, Mr. Ravalomanana resigned in March.

Mr. Rajoelina replaced him with the backing of CAPSAT. The international community condemned the coup d'état, freezing aid and foreign investment for nearly four years. Under international pressure, Andry Rajoelina did not run in the presidential election of 2013.

Soldiers from the same CAPSAT joined the protesters in downtown Antananarivo on Saturday and Sunday, stating they refused to intervene against the population.

Elected President in 2018

In April 2018, protests were organized against new electoral laws presented by then-president Hery Rajaonarimampianina. According to the opposition, these laws could prevent certain candidates from running in the elections scheduled for later that year.

Supporters of both Mr. Ravalomanana and Mr. Rajoelina, both of whom were candidates in the presidential election, were behind these protests.

In the November 2018 election, neither candidate received enough votes to avoid a runoff, which Mr. Rajoelina won a month later with nearly 56% of the votes.

Mr. Ravalomanana appealed to the Constitutional Court regarding alleged electoral irregularities but ultimately acknowledged his defeat.

Second Term

As the country prepares for the presidential election in November 2023, media revealed in June that Andry Rajoelina acquired French citizenship in 2014.

This led to calls for his disqualification from the presidential race, as Malagasy legislation prohibits dual nationality.

Nonetheless, Mr. Rajoelina won 59% of the votes in the first round. Voter turnout was only 46%, with most opposition candidates calling for a boycott and later denouncing vote-buying and irregularities in the counting process.

After the judicial validation of the election results, ambassadors from the EU, the United States, and other major donor countries expressed their concern over the "tensions and incidents" that marked the campaign.