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Madagascars new head of state on Monday named a civilian prime minister, following a military takeover last week that sent ex-president Andry Rajoelina fleeing.Army colonel Michael Randrianirina, who announced Tuesday that the military had taken power after Rajoelina was impeached for desertion of duty following weeks of protests, was sworn in as president Friday.Randrianirina promised sweeping change and new elections in the poverty-stricken island nation, where anger over chronic power cuts sparked the demonstrations last month that swiftly escalated into a mass anti-government movement.Following consultations with the national assembly, Randrianirina chose Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, a figure of the private sector and former chairman of the Malagasy bank BNI, as new premier Monday.Rajaonarivelo had "the skills, the experience but also relations with international organisations in other countries that will collaborate with Madagascar," Randrianirina said.The new president has promised a civilian government and collaboration with "all the driving forces of the nation" after the military takeover, rejecting last week accusations of having led a coup.He said Monday that the choice of premier had "scrupulously followed the Constitution".Randrianirina led the CAPSAT army unit which mutinied on October 11, condemning violence against anti-government protesters by Rajoelina's security forces and joining the demonstrations in the capital Antananarivo.It marked a turning point in the weeks-long uprising, leading Rajoelina to flee the country.Media reports said the ousted ex-president was evacuated on Sunday aboard a French military plane that took him to the French island of Reunion, from where he travelled to Dubai.Supporters of Rajoelina have condemned the power grab, which was backed by the constitutional court.

Madagascar braced for military rule Wednesday after an elite army unit seized power following President Andry Rajoelina's impeachment, promising elections within two years as the international community voiced alarm over the crisis.The poor Indian Ocean nation was plunged into its worst political upheaval in years after the CAPSAT military contingent assumed power moments after parliament voted to impeach Rajoelina, who appeared to have fled the country as street protests escalated.It becomes the latest former French colony to fall under military control since 2020, joining coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon, and Guinea.CAPSAT commander Colonel Michael Randrianirina, confirmed as president by the top court, said the transition to civilian leadership would take under two years and include the restructuring of major institutions.Randrianirina, expected to be sworn in within days, pledged elections in 18 to 24 months and told local media on Wednesday consultations were under way to appoint a prime minister and form a new government.The transition would be overseen by a committee of officers from the army, gendarmerie and police.Randrianirina had long been a vocal critic of Rajoelina's administration and was reportedly imprisoned for several months from November 2023 for inciting military mutiny with a view to a coup.The swift takeover has drawn concern from abroad, with France, Germany, Russia and other international partners urging restraint."It is now essential that democracy, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law be scrupulously upheld," Paris said in a statement, adding: "These principles are non-negotiable."All actors need to "act with caution in this currently somewhat confusing situation," a spokesman for the German foreign ministry said, while Russia called for "exercising restraint and preventing bloodshed."The security body of regional SADC grouping -- of which Rajoelina was holding the rotating presidency -- and the United Nations have also expressed concern."The military leaders who have seized power should respect and protect the rights of all Malagasy people," the Human Rights Watch said.The capital Antananarivo remained calm Wednesday, though uncertainty lingered over what might come next.The youth-led Gen Z movement that initiated the protests on September 25 over lack of water and energy before they later swelled into broader anger at the political elite have welcomed the intervention of Randrianirina.The colonel had said he is "ready to talk to the youth and we are ready to answer the call," Gen Z said in a post on Facebook, reiterating its calls for "systemic change"."We're worried about what comes next, but we're savouring this first victory that gave us hope," 26-year-old Fenitra Razafindramanga, captain of Madagascar's national rugby team, told AFP.In the northern city of Antsiranana, an entrepreneur who identified herself only as Muriella was relieved that Rajoelina was no longer in power."It feels like we've just been released from prison," she told AFP, adding: "This is also a message to his successor: learn from this and don't make the same mistakes."The presidency, however, denounced what it called "a clear act of attempted coup" and insisted that Rajoelina -- whose whereabouts remained unknown and who was last seen in public a week ago -- "remains fully in office."It said on Wednesday the constitutional court's decision was riddled with procedural illegalities and risked destabilising the country."This decision, tainted by multiple defects in both substance and form, is illegal, irregular, and unconstitutional," it said.Rajoelina, re-elected in disputed polls in 2023, came to power in a 2009 military-backed coup that was denounced by the international community which froze foreign aid and investment for nearly four years.He resisted mounting calls to step down, saying in a national address from an unknown location on Monday that he was seeking solutions to Madagascar's problems.Amid reports that he had been helped to leave with assistance from France, the former colonial power, he said he was in a "safe place to protect my life".

Security forces dispersed hundreds of protesters with tear gas in Madagascar's capital Monday, injuring at least one, AFP reporters saw, while President Andry Rajoelina was expected to name a new premier in a bid to defuse the crisis.Near-daily youth-led protests that started on September 25 against persistent water and power cuts in the impoverished Indian Ocean island have grown into an anti-government movement calling for Rajoelina to resign.Rajoelina sacked his government on September 29 and was expected to announce his prime minister Monday night, but this has not placated the demonstrators.Stun grenades and tear gas stopped two marches of hundreds of people in Antananarivo, with a heavy security presence on the 12th day of the movement, rallied on social media by a group called Gen Z Mada.University students and local residents gathered near the University of Ankatso on the outskirts of the capital on Monday before marching towards the city centre, where they were stopped by a security force barricade.Clashes punctuated the afternoon, with at least one young man wounded and evacuated to the main hospital, AFP reporters saw."There are about 120 hours of power cuts per week where I live," said 21-year-old protester Tommy Fanomezantsoa."We are protesting for everyone's sake," he told AFP. "The president is not listening to the anger of the people at the bottom. He always does what he wants."The Ankatso district was the birthplace of a 1972 revolt that led to the ousting of the first president of the poverty-stricken island, Philibert Tsiranana."The future of this country depends on me, on you, on all of us," one of the protest leaders told the crowd of several hundred people, urging them not to allow the movement to lose momentum."We can clearly see that democracy in Madagascar is not respected at all," said another protest leader."They are even destroying it with brutality," he said.He was referring to a United Nations statement last week that at least 22 people had been killed in the protests and more than 100 wounded, a figure rejected by the authorities.The UN also condemned what it called a heavy-handed response by security forces, including the use of live ammunition.AFP journalists witnessed a pregnant woman going into convulsions as crowds of people, including many children, fled from police in the hilly cobbled streets of Amparibe neighbourhood.Local media also reported a protest in the southern city of Toliara, where demonstrators burned tyres.Rajoelina on Saturday met with representatives of the private sector, administration and trade unions, and was expected to announce a new prime minister Monday night, according to his spokesperson."We don't want him to listen to people in his office, we want him to get out on the ground," said the protester Fanomezantsoa, who has been unemployed since the supermarket where he worked was looted on the first night of the protests."We will continue until we get results," he said.The Christian Council of Churches of Madagascar (FFKM) said on Friday that it was prepared to mediate between the government and protesters.The Gen Z movement has taken inspiration from similar youth-led movements in Bangladesh, Nepal and Indonesia, waving a pirate flag from the Japanese manga comic One Piece.Despite its natural resources, Madagascar remains among the world's poorest countries.Nearly three-quarters of its population of 32 million were living below the poverty line in 2022, according to the World Bank.Corruption is widespread and the country ranks 140th out of 180 in Transparency International's index, which ranks countries by their perceived level of public sector corruption.