Colonel Michael Randrianirina, a senior officer in the elite CAPSAT unit, has seized control in Madagascar after President Andry Rajoelina fled amid escalating Gen Z protests .

He swiftly suspended key institutions — including the Senate and Constitutional Court — and said a transitional government would rule for up to two years before elections.

Following are key facts about Randrianirina:

Randrianirina is part of Madagascar’s elite military CAPSAT unit, the group that brought now-deposed president Andry Rajoelina to power in a 2009 coup.

Since taking control this week, he has suspended the southern African country’s institutions, including the Senate, electoral commission and top legal bodies, including the High Constitutional Court that validated his takeover as interim presiden

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