Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina said on Tuesday he had dissolved the lower house of parliament, escalating a standoff with youth-led protesters and the military that forced him to flee the island.
A presidency decree posted on Facebook said the 51-year-old president had consulted with leaders of the National Assembly and the upper-house Senate, though the legality of the move remains unclear.
In a defiant address from an undisclosed location on Monday evening, Rajoelina refused to resign despite weeks of Gen Z-led protests demanding his departure and growing defections within the military.
Rajoelina said he had relocated to a safe place due to threats to his life. An opposition official, a military source, and a foreign diplomat told Reuters he fled the country on Sunday aboard a French military plane.
In a separate post on X, he said dissolving the National Assembly — paving the way for fresh elections in no less than 60 days — was “necessary to restore order” in the country.
“The people must be heard once again. It’s time for the youth,” he said.
However, the opposition leader in the National Assembly has challenged the legitimacy of the dissolution.
—Reuters
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