Just days after former president Andry Rajoelina fled the country in the wake of a military coup, army colonel Michael Randrianirina took the oath of office as president of Madagascar today.
In a ceremony at the country’s top court in Antananarivo, Randrianirina, who oversaw the CAPSAT army unit that rebelled and joined anti-government protesters over the weekend, recited the presidential oath, according to AFP.
“Our nation has reached a watershed moment in its history today. “We are ecstatic to open a new chapter in the life of our nation with a people who are passionate about change and who love their homeland deeply,” Randrianirina declared.
Military personnel, lawmakers, Gen Z young protest movement activists, and delegations from the US, EU, Russia, and France were among the guests at the ceremony, which was presided over by the chairman of the constitutional court.
Expressing gratitude to the youth for leading the protests that led to Rajoelina’s ouster, he promised to collaborate with the nation’s driving forces to create a good constitution and agree on new electoral legislation for the administration of elections and referendums.
“We will not repeat our mistakes,” Randrianirina declared.
Our primary objective is to completely revamp the country’s governmental structures, including its administrative, socioeconomic, and political systems.
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