Inspired by “Gen Z” protests in Kenya and Nepal, the demonstrations are the largest the island nation has seen in years, posing the most serious challenge to Rajoelina since his contested re-election in 2023. Thousands of protesters, many dressed in black and chanting for the president to resign, have marched across the capital, Antananarivo.

In a televised address on state broadcaster Televiziona Malagasy (TVM), Rajoelina apologized for his administration’s shortcomings. “We acknowledge and apologise if members of the government have not carried out the tasks assigned to them,” he said. “I understand the anger, the sadness, and the difficulties caused by power cuts and water supply problems. I heard the call, I felt the suffering, I understood the impact on daily life.”

The president announced that applications for a new prime minister will be received over the next three days before a new government is formed. He also emphasized his desire to create space for dialogue with young people and pledged measures to support businesses affected by looting.

Authorities have responded to the protests with heavy-handed tactics, including teargas and rubber bullets. The UN’s human rights office attributed some of the deaths to violent security force responses, while others were caused by looting and violence from gangs not connected to the demonstrations. Madagascar’s ministry of foreign affairs rejected the UN’s casualty figures, calling them “based on rumours or misinformation.”

Protesters have drawn inspiration from Nepal, where citizens recently forced a prime minister to resign, and have employed online organization strategies similar to those used in Kenya’s 2024 protests that led to the scrapping of proposed tax legislation.

Rajoelina first assumed power in a 2009 coup, stepped down in 2014, returned to the presidency after winning the 2018 election, and secured a third term in December 2023, a vote his opponents said was marked by irregularities.

Madagascar, one of the world’s poorest countries, has a long history of popular uprisings, including mass protests in 2009 that ousted former president Marc Ravalomanana.