Description: CAPSAT’s leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, announced that the military has officially taken over the governance in Madagascar. In his statement he said that the Senate, the High Constitutional Court, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the High Court of Justice and the High Council for the Defense of Human Rights and the Rule of Law were the institutions that would be temporarily suspended. Randrianirina also stated that the military would establish a Commission led by its most senior advisors who would oversee the appointment of the country’s new Prime Minister and a civilian-led government in the upcoming period. Shortly after the military officially ascended into power, Madagascar’s National Assembly impeached President Andry Rajoelina in absentia with 130 votes in favor and 0 votes against, on charges of engaging in activities which were deemed incompatible with presidential duties. Rajoelina’s whereabouts were still unknown as several sources in the media speculated that he had been flown out of the country with French assistance to Dubai. The military has repeatedly warned that the situation did not constitute a coup, and they would secede power to any democratically chosen civilian government.
Impact: CAPSAT’s ascendence into power was polarized and skeptically accepted by Madagascar’s civil society, however, it was generally perceived as the best interim solution for the crisis in the country. The military’s dissolution of virtually all relevant government organizations is a method that resonates with the classic military coup, however, their public narrative and preparedness to make headway for a civilian led government in the country has doused that probability. Rajoelina’s impeachment was a logical next step in working towards resolving the crisis since the public disapproval and criticism of the President surmounted any potential for his political reintegration in the system. The military, as the de – facto governing force, hasn’t indicated that it would resort towards suppressing the dissent in the country and has had a consistent public narrative that it would allow the Malagasy people to choose their own democratically elected government. The situation remains extremely unstable with the dissolution of the governmental institutions which creates the proverbial constitutional vacuum for inciting power plays from the political opposition and the country’s business elite while also facilitating fertile grounds for foreign interference. Madagascar is facing challenging transitional period where crucial decisions would have to be made in order to restore stability, resuscitate the economy and bring about democratic values in the country with an embattled history of political instability.