Former Madagascan president Andrey Rajoelina, who was ousted in a coup last week, has had his citizenship revoked by the new regime.
The order, signed by new Prime Minister Herinsalama Rajaonarivelo, cited local laws requiring those who acquired foreign citizenship to lose their Malagasy nationality.
Rajoelina, 51, obtained French citizenship a decade ago, disqualifying her from the 2023 presidential election. But he defied those calls and won.
After weeks of protests over persistent power and water shortages, he fled the African island nation and was seized by a military led by Colonel Michael Randrianrina.
Rajoelina said he is hiding for his own safety and his whereabouts are still unclear.
When he revealed his French nationality months before Madagascar’s last presidential election, he argued that he had obtained it secretly only to make things easier for his children, who were studying in France.
In recent weeks, they have faced protests initially organized by the youth movement General Z Mada and inspired by similar anti-government protests in Nepal, which only escalated after their government responded with violence.
Rajoelina sacked his energy minister and then his government – but that dampened calls for him to step down.
Protesters hoped Rajoelina would resign to pave the way for a smooth, democratic transition.
Instead, he clung to power, eventually ceding power to Madagascar’s elite military unit, of which Randrianrina was the head.
He has now sworn in and formed a new government promising to hold elections in two years.
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