Madagascar's military announces the world: officially takes over state power and detonates global public opinion
When the Madagascar military suddenly announced the takeover of the regime, the world’s eyes were instantly focused on this African island nation – a power redemption that was quietly taking place here.
The president was impeached and stepped down by the military, and Madagascar's political arena once again staged a "power jump".
This is not a film plot, but a real event that occupies the global headlines.
As an island nation in Southeast Africa, Madagascar is concerned for its unique ecological environment and rich mineral resources, and every change in its political situation involves regional stability and the nerves of the international community.
In early November 2025, the country, famous for its foxes and herbs, was hit by a sudden political storm — the military launched a lightning operation to take control of the presidential palace and key government agencies with the aim of “solving the economic crisis and responding to the demands of the people” and the current president La Jolina was forced to leave the capital. This incident not only broke the political balance of the country that lasted for several years, but also triggered a chain reaction on a global scale, and the international community's worries about the trend of the situation continued to heat up.
The military action was not without signs, but the result of the accumulation of long-standing economic difficulties and political conflicts in Madagascar.
Since La Jolina was re-elected president in 2020, the country's economy has always been in a downturn, the price of major exported agricultural products such as spices, coffee and other drastic fluctuations, foreign exchange reserves continued to shrink, and as of September 2025, foreign exchange reserves could cover only 1.8 months of import demand, making a record low.
The inflation rate soared to 23%, food prices rose by 45% compared with last year, and public protests broke out many times in Antananarivo, the capital, and surrounding areas, demanding that the government improve people's livelihood and stabilize prices.
The fiscal austerity policy launched by the Rajolina government not only failed to relieve economic pressure, but also triggered a strike by civil servants due to cuts in public service spending. The political support rate dropped from 58% at the beginning of his re-election to 21% in October 2025, laying a hidden danger for the military.
The prelude to the military operation kicked off in the early hours of November 3. At about 2 a.m. that day, the "Republican Guard" and armored troops affiliated with the Madagascar Army suddenly dispatched and advanced towards the core area of the capital in three routes: the first route of troops surrounded the presidential palace and cut off surrounding roads and communication signals;
The second route controls the state television, radio and other media institutions, interrupts the broadcasting of conventional programs, turns to broadcast military statements; the third route enters the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Key economic sectors such as the central bank prevent the transfer of funds and the destruction of documents. The entire operation lasted only 90 minutes. There were no large-scale armed conflicts during the process. Only a small number of members of the Presidential Guard made symbolic resistance and then laid down their weapons.
At 3: 30 a.m., military spokesman Rakutumanga issued a statement on national television, announcing the establishment of the "National Transitional Council", chaired by Army Chief of Staff Razafima Haifa, responsible for temporarily taking over state power until "free and fair elections are held".
After the military operation began, President Rajoelina secretly evacuated from the presidential palace and took a helicopter to the southern port city of Toamasina. Then he made a video speech through social media, condemning the military for "undermining the * system" and calling on the international community to intervene and call on supporters to "peacefully resist".
However, its appeals failed to trigger a massive response — the attitude of the people of the capital toward military action has been divided, and some people have been firing wreaths on the streets, saying that military action “is expected to change the status quo”;
Other people were worried that the situation was out of control and chose to hoard food and reduce travel. Supermarkets in Antananarivo City experienced a wave of buying, and some shops closed early. As of noon on November 3, the military had deployed troops in the capital and major cities and set up checkpoints to identify suspicious persons. The situation was temporarily under control, but potential unstable factors had not been eliminated.
The African Union (AU) held an emergency meeting on the same day, issuing a statement condemning “any act of changing the regime in an unconstitutional way”, announcing the suspension of Madagascar’s membership of the African Union, demanding that the military “immediately restore constitutional order”, and sending special envoys to neighbouring countries to coordinate response measures.
UN Secretary-General Guterres called through a spokesperson for "restraint and resolution of differences through dialogue." The UN Security Council plans to hold a meeting on November 4, Discuss the impact of the situation on regional stability. As the former colonial sovereign of Madagascar, France responded particularly quickly. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the temporary closure of its embassy in Antananarivo, the evacuation of non-essential diplomats, and reminded citizens in Malaysia to avoid going to sensitive areas.
Different from the opposition of the African Union and the United Nations, some countries adopt a cautious wait-and-see stance. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that it "respects the right of the Malagasy people to choose their own development path" and calls on all parties to "resolve the crisis through peaceful means", without explicitly condemning the military actions.
A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a regular press conference that "we are concerned about the development of the situation in Madagascar and hope that all parties will put the interests of the country and the people first, abide by the Constitution and laws, properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation, and safeguard national stability and regional peace", while stressing "opposing external forces interfering in internal affairs".
The United States, on the one hand, criticized the military for "destroying the democratic process", on the other hand, said it was "willing to maintain communication with the transitional committee and promote the situation in a peaceful direction", and did not immediately implement sanctions.
The chain reaction in the economic sector emerged quickly after the events occurred.
The stock exchange of Madagascar shut down on November 3, with the price of futures in the international markets rising by 18 per cent on a single day, suspending part of its cooperation with the country. The European Union announced the suspension of tariff preferences under the Economic Partnership Agreement, Japan suspended $23 billion in agricultural aid programmes, and the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also said they would “re-evaluate” their loan program.
For Madagascar, which relies heavily on external aid and agricultural exports, these measures will undoubtedly exacerbate economic difficulties and further affect people’s livelihoods.
In the development of the situation, regional security issues also raise concerns.
With neighboring countries concerned that the situation could lead to a flood of refugees and cross-border security threats, Mozambique, South Africa and other countries have strengthened border controls and increased patrol. The South African Development Community (SADC) convened an emergency summit on the evening of November 3 to set up the “Madagascar Situation Observatory” to travel to the country to assess the situation and contact the Transitional Commission to promote political dialogue.
As of the morning of November 4, the transitional committee had held talks with representatives of some opposition parties and civil society organizations, promising to formulate a transitional constitution within six months and to hold presidential and parliamentary elections within 18 months, but had not yet specified a specific timetable, nor mentioned the future status of La Giolina, and whether a breakthrough could be made in political consultations remained questionable.
From a historical perspective, this is not the first time that Madagascar has intervened in politics. In 2009, Rajoelina himself, with the support of the military, forced then-President Ravalomanana to resign through street protests and political pressure, and then came to power. The military's seizure of power is to some extent "a repeat of history", reflecting the fragility of the country's democratic system and the instability of the political structure.
The analysis report released by the International Crisis Group (ICG) pointed out that if Madagascar wants to achieve long-term stability, it needs to solve economic structural problems, improve the electoral system and balance the power of the military and civilian governments during the transitional period, otherwise "political turmoil may repeat itself".
As of noon on November 4, the situation in the capital and major cities of Madagascar was basically stable. The Transitional Council began to form an interim government and appointed some ministers to be responsible for daily administrative affairs. However, the intensification of economic difficulties, pressure from the international community, and games between different political factions will still be major challenges facing the Transitional Council.
This sudden political storm has not only changed the political landscape of Madagascar, but also sounded the alarm for political stability in the African region – how to find a balance between democracy and stable development and how to understand how to solve the difficulties of people’s livelihoods through effective governance – remains a common issue facing many African countries.
Official sources and links:
African Union official website: African Union Statement on the Situation in Madagascar
https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20251103/statement-au-peace-and-security-council-madagascarUnited Nations News Network: "The United Nations Secretary-General calls on all parties in Madagascar to exercise restraint"
https://news.un.org/zh/story/2025/11/1133092Official website of the Southern African Development Community: "SADC establishes an observation mission on the situation in Madagascar"
https://www.sadc.int/news/article/sadc-establishes-mission-to-assess-madagascar-situation/