Madagascar’s military leader Michael Randrianirina announced he will soon be sworn in as president after leading a coup that ousted President Andry Rajoelina. The military dissolved all institutions except the National Assembly and promised to govern alongside a transitional government for up to two years before holding new elections. Randrianirina, a former commander of the elite CAPSAT unit, played a role in the 2009 coup that brought Rajoelina to power but recently broke ranks.

 

 

Rajoelina reportedly left Madagascar on a French military plane and is believed to be in Dubai. Madagascar faces severe poverty, with three-quarters of its 30 million population living in hardship, and economic struggles continue despite past political promises.