MADAGASCAR-POLITICS-MILITARY

Soldiers lay out a red carpet inside the High Constitutional Court ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of army colonel Michael Randrianirina as President of Madagascar in Antananarivo on October 17, 2025. Army colonel Michael Randrianirina was sworn in as Madagascar's president on October 17, 2025, just days after a military power grab that sent ex-president Andry Rajoelina fleeing and raised international alarm about a new coup on the island.Randrianirina led the CAPSAT army unit that mutinied and joined anti-government protesters before announcing the military had taken over after Rajoelina was impeached for desertion of duty on Tuesday. (Photo by RIJASOLO / AFP) (Photo by RIJASOLO/AFP via Getty Images)