Michael Randrianirina is a colonel in CAPSAT, an elite military unit in Madagascar, who launched a coup on October 12th 2025 and appointed himself interim president on October 14th. He said he was answering "the incessant call of the Malagasy people".
Randrianirina is 51 years old. He is from the dirt-poor south of the country and a member of a tribe with roots in mainland Africa. He is therefore a rare Malagasy leader not from the dominant Merina ethnic group, whose people trace their origins to South-East Asia. His background as an outsider may help him win over the downtrodden.
He played no big part in the 2009 coup but in 2023 was given a one-year suspended sentence for his role in an alleged mutiny. He is a little-known figure, even in Madagascar.
Upon taking power, Randrianirina said: "Power belongs to the people, not to me." He has pledged to hold elections within the next two years.
"Don't tell me I'm burning the candle at both ends -- tell me where to get more wax!!"