Madagascar: President dissolves parliament amid growing unrest

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina dissolved the national assembly on the 14^th of October, as reported by Africa news via the Associated Press, intensifying a political crisis that has gripped the country for weeks. The announcement, made in a Facebook statement, came after youth protests and a military mutiny forced Rajoelina to flee the country.

The president said he had consulted parliamentary leaders before the dissolution, though the legality of the move remains unclear. Opposition lawmakers had been planning a vote to oust him following widespread anger over chronic power and water shortages.

Rajoelina dismissed his energy minister and the entire government last month, but the unrest has continued, with soldiers in the capital refusing to act against protesters. Speaking from an undisclosed location, the president claimed he fled Madagascar after surviving an assassination attempt.

Africa News via AP, Maghrebi