♦ Madagascar’s coup leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina was sworn in as president on 17 October 2025, days after seizing power in a dramatic youth-led uprising that forced out former leader Andry Rajoelina.
♦ Randrianirina was born in 1974 in Sevohipoty, a small village in the Androy region of southern Madagascar.
♦ He served as governor of Androy from 2016 to 2018 under former President Hery Rajaonarimampianina.
♦ Following that, he commanded an infantry battalion in Toliara until 2022, before being promoted to a senior leadership role in CAPSAT, Madagascar’s elite military unit that previously played a key role in bringing Rajoelina to power in 2009.