Madagascar: President Calls for 'Respect for the Constitution' and Claims to be 'in a Safe Place' After 'Attempted Murder'

Madagascar's President, Andry Rajoelina, urged on Monday to 'respect the current Constitution' during his first public address since military forces joined protests against his government over the weekend.

In a live broadcast on social media, but not on Madagascar's state television, Rajoelina stated he was in a 'safe place' following an 'attempted murder,' without providing details on his whereabouts. 'There is only one solution to resolve these issues, which is to respect the Constitution in force in the country,' he asserted, effectively dismissing calls for his resignation from a protest movement that emerged on September 25 in this particularly impoverished island in the Indian Ocean.