Madagascar president hangs on to power as thousands protest

Residents ride in a pickup truck waving Malagasy flags as they drive past a civil society rally demanding the resignation of President Andry Rajoelina. [AFP] President Andry Rajoelina ratcheted up tensions in Madagascar Tuesday by dissolving the National Assembly to block a vote to force him out of office as thousands gathered for new protests calling for his resignation. Civil servants and trade unionists joined the large crowd in the capital in a fresh demonstration against Rajoelina after he made clear in an address from hiding late Monday that he did not intend to bow to demands that he quit. The protests reached a pivotal point at the weekend when mutinous soldiers and security forces joined the demonstrators and called for the president and other government ministers to step down. Youth-led protests have rocked the Indian Ocean island since September 25, ignited by anger over power and water shortages and developing into demonstrations against the president and ruling elite. After reports that he had left the country with the assistance of France, Rajoelina said in the national address that he was in a "safe place to protect my life" but did not reveal his location. The 51-year-old, who came to power after a military-backed coup in 2009, said he was "on a mission to find solutions" to the political crisis and would not let the impoverished nation "destroy itself". His order to dissolve the National Assembly came as parliamentarians were gathering ahead of an expected vote to strip him of the presidency for desertion of duty. Opposition parliamentarian Marc Ravalomanana told reporters earlier Tuesday that the National Assembly had called an extraordinary session to "note the absence of power in Madagascar". "There is a power vacuum. The solution is not revenge, neither confusion, but a peaceful, inclusive and responsible transition," said Ravalomanana, who lost power to Rajoelina in the 2009 coup. 'Rajoelina out' Outside the city hall, demonstrators who included striking government workers carried banners critical of France and saying "Rajoelina and Macron out". President Emmanuel Macron expressed "great concern" over the island's crisis but refused to confirm reports that France had helped Rajoelina to evacuate. Before Monday's address, Rajoelina had not appeared in public since Wednesday when he pledged at a public meeting to address complaints against his government. The near-daily protests, led by a youth movement called Gen Z, took a turn at the weekend when a mutinying military unit joined the demonstrators after saying they would "refuse orders to shoot" on them. The CAPSAT unit, which played a major role in the 2009 coup, was joined by officers from the gendarmerie paramilitary police force, which admitted to "faults and excesses" in their response to the demonstrations. The United Nations has said at least 22 people were killed in the first days of the protests, some by security forces and others in violence sparked by criminal gangs and looters. Rajoelina later disputed the toll, saying there were "12 confirmed deaths and all of these individuals were looters and vandals". To try to defuse the protests, Rajoelina sacked his entire government last month. Meeting one of the demands of the protesters, the president of the Senate was replaced. Madagascar has had a turbulent political history since the country off the east coast of Africa gained independence from France in 1960. The latest turmoil drew expressions of concern from the region including the African Union and South Africa. The African Union's security council called Monday for all armed forces "to return to uphold their constitutional mandate, and to refrain from meddling in the political affairs of the country". Air France announced Tuesday it would extend the suspension of its flights to Madagascar at least until Friday because of the unrest.

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