Ousted Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina stripped of citizenship

Former Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina, who was ousted in a coup last week, has been stripped off his citizenship by the new regime.

The order, signed by new Prime Minister Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, cited local laws stipulating that people who acquired foreign citizenship should lose their Malagasy nationality.

Rajoelina, 51, obtained French citizenship a decade ago, prompting calls for his disqualification from the 2023 presidential election. But he defied those calls and went on to win.

He fled the African island nation after weeks of protests over persistent power and water shortages, culminating in a military takeover led by Col Michael Randrianirina.

Rajoelina has said he has gone into hiding for his own safety, and his whereabouts remain unclear.

When he disclosed his French nationality months before Madagascar’s presidential election in 2023, he argued he had only secretly acquired it to make things easier for his children studying in France.

In recent weeks, he had faced demonstrations initially organised by youth movement Gen Z Mada and inspired by similar anti-government protests in Nepal, which were only exacerbated when his government responded with violence.

Rajoelina sacked his energy minister and then his government – but this did little to quell the calls for him to step down.

Protesters had hoped that Rajoelina would resign to pave the way for a smooth, democratic transition.

Instead, he clung to power, eventually leading to Madagascar’s elite military unit, of which Randrianirina was chief, to seize power.

He has now been sworn in and has formed a new government, pledging to hold elections within two years.