Madagascar's President Michel Randrianirina, who seized power in October last year, has appointed the country's anti-corruption chief as the new prime minister, barely a week after dissolving the cabinet. The presidency announced on Sunday that former senior gendarmerie officer and career civil administrator Mamitiana Rajaonarison would head the new government.
Colonel Randrianirina, who promised a series of reforms after taking power last year, stated that Rajaonarison would lead the government "on a clean path" and restore hope. In a ceremony at the presidential palace broadcast on state television, he declared, "The Malagasy nation needs bold decisions. We are now at a turning point." The president added, "This country needs a person of integrity, a person of principle, incorruptible and who cannot be bought with money."
The appointment came after Randrianirina dismissed Prime Minister Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo and all other cabinet ministers last Monday, offering no explanation for the move. Rajaonarivelo, drawn from the private sector, had been appointed in October shortly after Randrianirina seized power during protests that forced former President Andry Rajoelina to flee.
The new prime minister, Rajaonarison, has led the Financial Intelligence Unit (SAMIFIN), which combats illicit financial flows, money laundering, and terrorism financing, since 2021. He is expected to announce his new cabinet shortly. In September, demonstrations against water and power shortages on the Indian Ocean island snowballed into a protest movement that the government failed to stop with a crackdown resulting in several casualties.
When Randrianirina's army unit mutinied and joined protesters from the "Gen Z" movement, former President Rajoelina fled with the help of France. The colonel has rejected accusations of a coup, insisting the Constitutional Court "transferred power" to him. He has pledged a two-year transition, outlined in a roadmap released at the end of February. Since taking power, Randrianirina has led what he calls a "Refoundation," framing the agenda as a reset aimed at restoring state authority, fighting corruption, and rebuilding public trust.
Source: www.aljazeera.com