Overview

• Colonel Michael Randrianirina told the Associated Press he is taking the position of president and expects to be sworn in within days after the High Constitutional Court invited him to assume head‑of‑state functions.
• The National Assembly voted 130–1 to impeach Andry Rajoelina, disregarding his decree to dissolve the chamber that deputies and opposition leaders said had no legal force.
• Randrianirina said the armed forces have suspended key institutions, including the Senate and electoral bodies, and will form a committee of security leaders, appoint a prime minister quickly, and hold elections in 18 to 24 months.
• Rajoelina said he moved to a safe location and denounced the takeover as illegal; multiple reports say he left on a French military aircraft, which French officials have not confirmed.
• The crisis followed weeks of Gen Z–led protests over water and power outages, poverty and corruption, with the UN citing 22 deaths and 100+ injuries in unrest that the government disputes.