Former Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina, who was ousted in a coup on October 14, has been stripped of his citizenship by the new regime, the BBC reported. The order, signed by new Prime Minister Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, cited local laws stipulating that people who acquired foreign citizenship should lose their Malagasy nationality. ALSO READ: Coup leader in Madagascar says to be sworn in as president Rajoelina, who ruled the island nation from 2009, obtained French citizenship a decade ago, prompting calls for his disqualification from the 2023 presidential election. But he defied those calls and went on to win. He fled the African island nation after weeks of protests over persistent power and water shortages, culminating in a military takeover led by Col Michael Randrianirina. Rajoelina, 51, has said he has gone into hiding for his own safety, and his whereabouts remain unclear. When he disclosed his French nationality months before Madagascar's last presidential election, he argued he had only secretly acquired it to make things easier for his children studying in France. In recent weeks, he had faced demonstrations initially organised by the youth movement Gen Z Mada and inspired by similar anti-government protests in Nepal, which were only exacerbated when his government responded with violence. Rajoelina sacked his energy minister and then his government, but this did little to quell the calls for him to step down. Protesters had hoped that Rajoelina would resign to pave the way for a smooth, democratic transition. Instead, he clung to power, eventually leading to Madagascar's elite military unit, of which Randrianirina was chief, to seize power. The military leader has now been sworn in as president and has formed a new government, pledging to hold elections within two years.
