"Madagascar has sworn in an army colonel as president, just days after a military takeover on the back of a popular rebellion that sent President Andry Rajoelina fleeing into exile. The African island nation's High Constitutional Court on Friday formalised the appointment of Colonel Michael Randrianirina in a ceremony, crowning a tumultuous week in which Rajoelina was impeached for desertion of duty on Tuesday, with the military stepping in."
"A large crowd gathered for the ceremony at the court Friday with representatives of a youth-led movement rubbing shoulders with politicians. The 51-year-old commander of the CAPSAT unit has pledged elections in 18 to 24 months and told local media that consultations were under way to appoint a consensus prime minister. Madagascar has not chosen a military regime, he told reporters Thursday. The government belongs to civilians. The presidential council is also composed of military and civilians, he said."
Mass demonstrations over power and water shortages escalated into deadly unrest, with the United Nations reporting at least 22 dead and more than 100 injured. Youth-led protests that began on September 25 prompted a large mobilisation and accusations of harsh crackdowns by government forces. CAPSAT announced on October 11 that it would refuse orders to shoot, after which President Andry Rajoelina fled into exile and was impeached for desertion of duty. The High Constitutional Court formalised Colonel Michael Randrianirina as president in a ceremony attended by crowds, politicians and foreign delegations. Randrianirina pledged elections in 18 to 24 months and said the government would include civilians and military members.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]