Madagascar's new military ruler, Michael Randrianirina, said he would soon be sworn in as the country's president as the African Union suspended the island nation after a coup to oust President Andry Rajoelina.
Mr Rajoelina, who was impeached by lawmakers after fleeing abroad during the weekend, has condemned the takeover and refused to step down despite Gen Z demonstrations demanding his resignation and widespread defections in the security forces.
Mr Randrianirina said earlier that the military had taken power and dissolved all institutions except the lower house of parliament, or National Assembly.
"We will be sworn in soon," the army colonel told a press briefing, a day after the High Constitutional Court invited him to serve as president of the former French colony.
"We took responsibility yesterday."
Two sources close to him earlier said he would be sworn in as president in the next day or two.
A spokesperson for the African Union said that the bloc had suspended Madagascar with immediate effect following the coup, without sharing further details.
Suspension by the 55-member bloc carries political weight and could isolate the country's new leadership.
At a bloc meeting earlier, African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said: "The rule of law must prevail over the rule of force. Our approach is grounded in law and dialogue."
Mr Randrianirina said yesterday that a committee led by the military would rule for up to two years alongside a transitional government before organising new elections.
Mr Randrianirina was a commander in the elite CAPSAT army unit that played a key role in the 2009 coup that brought Mr Rajoelina to power but broke ranks with him last week, urging soldiers not to fire on protesters.
Reports from security sources suggested Mr Rajoelina fled Madagascar on Sunday aboard a French military plane.
He has said his life was at risk and is now believed to be in Dubai, according to three diplomatic and opposition sources.
The 51-year-old former DJ rose to power in a coup in 2009 on the back of youth protests, becoming the world's youngest head of state at 34.
But promises to improve living standards and eradicate corruption were never fulfilled.
Madagascar, where the average age is less than 20, has a population of about 30 million, three-quarters of whom live in poverty.
Between its independence in 1960 and 2020, GDP per capita plunged 45%, according to the World Bank.
As well as the CAPSAT unit, the paramilitary gendarmerie and the police have also broken ranks with Mr Rajoelina.
Wheareabouts of president remain unknown
The capital Antananarivo remained calm today, though uncertainty lingered over what might come next.
A concert was held on the symbolic Place du 13 Mai square, in front of the city hall, where thousands of protesters and armed vehicles had clashed days before.
The youth-led Gen Z movement that initiated the protests on 25 September over lack of water and energy before they later swelled into broader anger at the political elite have welcomed the intervention of Randrianirina.
The colonel had said he is "ready to talk to the youth and we are ready to answer the call," Gen Z said in a post on Facebook, reiterating its calls for "systemic change".
"We're worried about what comes next, but we're savouring this first victory that gave us hope," 26-year-old Fenitra Razafindramanga, captain of Madagascar's national rugby team, said.
In the northern city of Antsiranana, an entrepreneur who identified herself only as Muriella was relieved that Mr Rajoelina was no longer in power.
"It feels like we've just been released from prison," she said, adding: "This is also a message to his successor: learn from this and don't make the same mistakes."
The presidency, however, denounced what it called "a clear act of attempted coup" and insisted that Mr Rajoelina - whose whereabouts remained unknown and who was last seen in public a week ago - "remains fully in office."
It said the constitutional court's decision was riddled with procedural illegalities and risked destabilising the country.
"This decision, tainted by multiple defects in both substance and form, is illegal, irregular, and unconstitutional," it said.
Rajoelina, re-elected in disputed polls in 2023, came to power in a 2009 military-backed coup that was denounced by the international community which froze foreign aid and investment for nearly four years.
He resisted mounting calls to step down, saying in a national address from an unknown location on Monday that he was seeking solutions to Madagascar's problems.
Amid reports that he had been helped to leave with assistance from France, the former colonial power, he said he was in a "safe place to protect my life".
