Madagascar cautiously welcomes dismissal of cabinet

By Africanews with AFP

People in Madagascar cautiously welcomed the dissolution of the country’s council of ministers by the junta leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina on Monday.

Many feel that the government of Prime Minister Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo had failed to deliver the change desired by the country’s youth.

Demonstrations against water and power shortages in September last year snowballed into a protest movement that the government failed to stop with a crackdown that left people dead and injured.

Randrianirina’s choice of cabinet — which included well-known figures from Madagascar’s fraught political landscape — had already raised eyebrows, with concerns its agenda would remain far from the aspirations for radical change expressed by the young demonstrators.

But Monday’s dismissal of the government came as “a surprise”, said Elliot Randriamandrato, spokesperson for the “Gen Z” collective.

“It’s true that we didn’t like the choice of prime minister at first, but they showed an openness that made us think we could move forward,” he told AFP.

While a reshuffle had not seemed necessary, the change could be “an opportunity to push for people who could take up our demands”, Randriamandrato said.

The group was not reassured by recent developments including the release of the transition roadmap without its consultation and signs of “militarisation” in the regime, he said.

“There are faint signs that … perhaps we are drifting towards something that does not follow the demands” of last year’s protests, he said.