Associated Press
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Andriy Rajoelina was the mayor of Young Citizens 16 years ago when he led popular protests against the Malagasy government.
The uprising resulted in a military-backed coup, and Rajoelina seized power as interim leader of the Indian Ocean country at just 34 years old.
He then resigned from the presidency in 2014, but returned to office through the 2019 election.
On Tuesday, the same military forces that supported Rajoelina’s rise to power seized power in Madagascar following weeks of youth-led protests, and now vowed to oust him from office following protests against him and his government.
Here’s what you need to know about Rajoelina’s rise and fall, and how the military and youth played important roles in both.
Rajoelina, whose father was a colonel in the Malagasy army, chose a different path and bought a television and radio station in 2007 as a young entrepreneur.
He used his popularity with young people as a radio DJ to form his own political party, Determined Malagasy Youth, and by the end of the year was elected mayor of the capital, Antananarivo.
In its early days, the party’s message of transparency in public spending, infrastructure development and economic reform resonated with disenfranchised young people in Madagascar, which the World Bank ranks as one of the world’s poorest countries.
His anti-establishment stance won him public support among young people and eventually among the country’s military elite, propelling him to high office.
In 2009, his party led youth protests against the government of then-former President Marc Ravalomanana.
Widespread dissatisfaction with the Ravalomanana government over allegations of corruption, inequality, and authoritarianism led to ongoing protests from January to March 2009, culminating in the violent burning of government buildings.
Ravalomanana fled to South Africa following military-backed youth protests. Rajoelina was appointed interim president.
He used his visibility and popularity in the media to spread anti-government messages that resonated primarily with young people.
From there, he quickly rose to the top of Malagasy politics.
After the military seized power from Ravalomanana, Rajoelina was appointed interim president and served from 2009 to 2014, but faced international isolation and sanctions.
He resigned in 2014 but returned to the presidency after winning the 2018 election. Opponents say he has not improved the lives of his fellow citizens during his time in office.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rajoelina caused controversy by promoting a tonic that she claimed would cure the disease.
Despite the World Health Organization’s warning against the use of scientifically unproven treatments, Rajoelina distributed herbal concoctions to schools around the capital, Antananarivo, which she claimed helped reduce the number of infections.
He remained steadfast in his position on the treatment, even though the disease killed more than 1,400 people in Madagascar between 2020 and 2023.
His handling of the coronavirus pandemic has become a divisive issue, drawing pride in homegrown treatments but drawing criticism from analysts and the health sector.
Rajoelina was attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York City three weeks ago when protests over water and power outages erupted in the capital region.
However, when he returned to the capital, several shops had been looted and several newly installed cable car stations had been set on fire.
Anger over water cuts and power outages spread to wider issues, including corruption and nepotism within the government.
Like the youth movement he led to overthrow Ravalomanana, the Gen Z movement, backed by the military, rejected Rajoelina, refusing any dialogue and demanding his resignation.
According to the World Bank, around 75% of the country’s 30 million people are affected by poverty, and issues that have dominated recent protests include lack of access to higher education, government corruption and the cost of living.
The protests that led to Rajoelina’s ouster also included civil society groups, trade unions and government officials, demonstrating that young people are not alone in their dissatisfaction.
