ANTANANARIVO/NAIROBI (Reuters) -Madagascar's new military ruler, Michael Randrianirina, said on Wednesday 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.
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.
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 on Wednesday, 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 told Reuters he would be sworn in as president in the next day or two.
'RULE OF LAW MUST PREVAIL'
A spokesperson for the African Union told Reuters on Wednesday 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 on Wednesday, 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."
Randrianirina said on Tuesday that a committee led by the military would rule for up to two years alongside a transitional government before organising new elections.
Randrianirina was a commander in the elite CAPSAT army unit that played a key role in the 2009 coup that brought Rajoelina to power but broke ranks with him last week, urging soldiers not to fire on protesters.
FAILED PROMISES
Rajoelina fled Madagascar on Sunday aboard a Frenchmilitary plane, security sources told Reuters. 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 Rajoelina.
(Reporting by Giulia Paravicini in Nairobi and Lovasoa Rabary in Antananarivo; Additional reporting by Tim Cocks in Antananarivo; Writing by Ammu Kannampilly; Editing by Silvia Aloisi and Rod Nickel)
