Former Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina loses citizenship

A protest demanding the resignation of president Andry Rajoelina on October 13. PIC/GETTY IMAGES

Former Madagascar president Andry Rajoelina has been stripped of his citizenship after he was ousted during a military takeover just over a week ago.

Rajoelina, whose whereabouts remain unknown after he fled the country following protests that demanded his resignation, also holds French citizenship.

The country's new prime minister, Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, has signed a decree invoking laws which strip all Madagascans of their citizenship if they have citizenship of another country.

Former president Andry Rajoelina. FILE PIC/AFP

Rajoelina's possession of French nationality had previously caused a debate about his eligibility to run for the presidency in the 2023 polls, an election he won.

He fled the country at the height of youth-led protests, which brought thousands into the streets in several cities and initially sparked a harsh crackdown by security forces that left 22 people dead and more than 100 injured, according to the United Nations.

At the time, he said he feared for his life, and addressed the nation from an unknown location days before the military took over and Col Michael Randrianirina was sworn in as president.

Madagascar has had several leaders removed in coups and has a history of political crises since it gained independence from France in 1960. Rajoelina, 51, first came to prominence as the leader of a transitional government following the 2009 coup that forced then-President Marc Ravalomanana to flee the country.

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