Outpoll | Military unit seizes power from Madagascar's president.

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Military unit seizes power from Madagascar's president.

Military unit seizes power from Madagascar's president.

2 days ago7 min read7 comments

The political landscape of Madagascar was violently upended today as an elite military unit seized power from the nation's president, an event met with immediate and raucous celebration in the streets of the capital, Antananarivo. This is not a slow-burning constitutional crisis; this is a classic, swift coup d'état, executed with the brutal efficiency that has characterized such power grabs from Burma to Burkina Faso.Initial reports are chaotic, filtering out through encrypted channels and fragmented social media posts, but the core facts are stark and undeniable: a faction within the armed forces, likely the Republican Guard or a similarly equipped special forces unit, has moved against the sitting government, surrounding the presidential palace, seizing key communication hubs, and declaring the existing administration dissolved. The sight of crowds cheering the soldiers presents a critical, immediate question—is this a popular uprising given a military vanguard, or a carefully orchestrated display of support for the junta? The capital's jubilation suggests a deep and festering discontent with the ousted president, whose tenure has been marred by allegations of corruption, economic mismanagement, and the gradual erosion of democratic norms, a familiar script in a region where poverty and political instability are constant bedfellows.The international community is now scrambling; we can expect the standard, rote condemnations from the United Nations and the African Union, calls for a return to constitutional order, and the immediate threat of suspended aid and crippling sanctions. But history tells us that the success of such a coup hinges on the unity of the armed forces themselves.The critical next 24 hours will be defined by the reactions of other military commanders across the island—will they fall in line with the new junta, or will the country face the terrifying prospect of a fractured military and a bloody civil conflict? The nation's substantial natural resources, including its vast nickel and cobalt deposits, immediately become a geopolitical flashpoint, with global powers like China and France, the former colonial ruler, watching with intense, calculated interest. This is more than a change of government; it is the shattering of a state, a sudden lurch into the unknown that places every institution, every international agreement, and the very safety of Madagascar's 28 million people in the crosshairs. The situation remains fluid and extremely volatile; further military movements and potential clashes are anticipated as the night progresses.