Antananarivo, Madagascar – The government of Madagascar has revoked theโ citizenship of former President Andry rajoelina, effectively barring him fromโค contesting upcoming elections. The โขdecision follows โขRajoelina‘s impeachment on October 14th, after โhe left the country amid โwidespread protests.
The revocation, based on an official government decree, stems โfrom rajoelina’s acquisition of French citizenshipโฃ in 2014. Malagasyโข law stipulates the loss of citizenship for โthose who voluntarilyโข obtain foreign nationality. This action escalatesโข a politicalโข crisis that began โwith โคweeks of โฃdemonstrations and culminates โin Rajoelina’s disqualification from โfuture electoral participation, possibly reshaping Madagascar’sโข political landscape.
According to reports fromโ AFP and local media, the decree was published in the official gazette โand shared online, confirming the revocation.โ French broadcaster RFI confirmed the decree’sโข validity with theโ office of Prime Minister Herintsalamaโข Rajaonarivelo, who signed the order.
The revelation of โขRajoelina’s french citizenship surfaced aheadโ of the November 2023 general election, sparking controversy andโฃ calls for his disqualification. Despite these โchallenges, he won โขthe contested election, which wasโฃ boycotted by opposition โฃparties.
Rajoelina, 51, fled Madagascar after Colonel Michael Randrianirina of โคthe CAPSAT unit declared hisโ refusal โto suppress theโ youth-led protest movement on โOctober 11th. Rajoelina subsequently stated he was โขin โhiding for his safety, without disclosing his location.
