Madagascar president impeached, military takes charge — reports

Lawmakers in Madagascar's national assembly have voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina.

The MPs in Madagascar's national assembly have voted to impeach Rajoelina by 130 yes votes to one blank ballot.

Now, the High Constitutional Court has to validate the vote.

President Rajoelina has condemned the impeachment vote currently taking place.

He notes that the meeting has taken place despite him dissolving the national assembly and says the vote is unconstitutional.

Whatever the outcome of the meeting, it will be "deemed null and void", Rajoelina says in a statement posted on Facebook.

Following the vote to impeach Rajoelina, elite military unit CAPSAT says it is taking power, the Reuters news agency reports.

AFP reports that an "army colonel" says the military has taken charge.

Members of Rajoelina's party, IRMAR, were present at the impeachment vote in the national assembly - and even they voted overwhelmingly against him, increasing the pressure on him to step down.

The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, has called the situation in Madagascar "greatly worrying" but refused to comment on reports that the French military had airlifted the island's president out of the country on Sunday.

France has been the object of some protesters' ire - banners saying "Rajoelina and Macron out" have been seen at recent gatherings.

A powerful military unit in Madagascar has dismissed President Rajoelina's claim that they intended to harm him.

Col Randrianirina Michael of the CAPSAT unit told the BBC the allegations were baseless, saying the army had never had any intention to harm "even a single hair on his head".

In a live broadcast to the nation on Facebook, Rajoelina, 51, said "a group of military personnel and politicians planned to assassinate me", forcing him to go into hiding.

Mass protests began in Madagascar on 25 September over anger with repeated water and power cuts, then escalated to reflect wider dissatisfaction with Rajoelina's government over high unemployment, corruption and the cost-of-living crisis.

On Saturday, soldiers from CAPSAT left their barracks, and joined protesters, posing a major challenge to Rajoelina's power.

He responded by saying there was an attempt to seize power illegally in Madagascar.

Rajoelina has not been seen in public since last week, with unconfirmed reports saying he has fled the country.