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An elite military unit says it has seized power in Madagascar from President Andry Rajoelina following weeks of youth-led protests in the Indian Ocean island.<\/p>\n
Standing outside the presidential palace on Tuesday, CAPSAT chief Col Michael Randrianirina said the military would form a government and hold elections within two years. He also suspended key democratic institutions, like the electoral commission.<\/p>\n
Gen Z protesters will be part of the changes because “the movement was created in the streets so we have to respect their demands”, he added.<\/p>\n
Troops and protesters have been celebrating the apparent ousting of President Rajoelina, with thousands waving flags in the capital, Antananarivo.<\/p>\n
CAPSAT, or the Personnel Administration and Technical and Administrative Services Corps, is the most powerful military unit in Madagascar.<\/p>\n
The unit supported Rajoelina when he came into power in 2009, but joined the protesters on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Madagascar’s constitutional court has named Col Randrianirina as the country’s new leader, even though a statement from the president’s office said he was still in charge and denounced what it described as an “attempted coup d’etat”.<\/p>\n
Rajoelina’s whereabouts are unknown, but he has said he is sheltering in a “safe place” following an alleged attempt on his life by “military personnel and politicians”. CAPSAT has denied any involvement in any such move.<\/p>\n
There have been unconfirmed reports that the president was flown out of the country on a French military aircraft.<\/p>\n
Also on Tuesday the US state department urged all sides “to pursue a peaceful solution in line with the constitutional order”.<\/p>\n
Col Randrianirina told the BBC that Madagascar was “a country where chaos reigns right now”.<\/p>\n
“Chaos because there’s no president – he’s gone abroad.”<\/p>\n
The unrest began just over two weeks ago, after a youth-led movement began protesting against chronic water and power cuts across the country.<\/a><\/p>\n