Nearly a month after taking power amid mass youth protests and a collapsing presidency, Madagascar’s transitional leader Michael Randrianirina has delivered his first national address, setting out a two-year roadmap to reset the country’s political order while dismissing accusations that he engineered a coup.
Speaking in a carefully managed pre-recorded broadcast from the State Palace, the colonel-turned-“president of the refoundation” described the chaotic three weeks that forced former president Andry Rajoelina from office.
He insisted the handover was not a military seizure, stressing that “no violence occurred,” despite mounting criticism from regional observers who have questioned the legality of the transition.
Randrianirina pushed back against claims of judicial purges targeting the previous administration, arguing that ongoing investigations into alleged corruption and state plunder were “the work of justice, not vengeance.”
He promised that those responsible for emptying public coffers would be held to account.
Outlining the transition timeline, he announced a nationwide consultation process led by the powerful Christian Council of Churches (FFKM) to design a new governance framework.
The plan includes a constitutional referendum and fresh presidential elections within two years. A new Youth Assembly and an expanded emphasis on Malagasy language and national history in schools will form part of the reforms, he said.
Pressed on whether he intends to contest the next election, Randrianirina kept the door open, saying the decision “belongs to the people,” a remark likely to fuel speculation about his long-term ambitions.
He closed by urging the public for patience, warning that rebuilding a fractured state “cannot be done in two months” and will require collective commitment. His first address sets the tone for a transition watched closely both at home and across the region, where memories of past political upheavals remain raw.
