Colonel Michaël Randrianirina, president of the Refoundation of the Malagasy Republic, has appointed Mamitiana Jeannot Ruffin Rajaonarison as Prime Minister, tasking him with forming a government without delay.
Mamitiana Jeannot Ruffin Rajaonarison was appointed Prime Minister of Madagascar on 15 March at the Iavoloha State Palace, becoming the second head of government since the advent of the Refoundation of the Republic, the presidency announced.
His appointment comes six days after the dissolution of the government and the dismissal of his predecessor, Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, announced on 9 March by the head of state as part of an executive reshuffle.
A former gendarmerie officer and senior civil servant, Rajaonarison had been heading Madagascar’s Financial Intelligence Unit since 2021 – the body responsible for combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
It was precisely this background that drove the choice of President of Reforms Colonel Michaël Randrianirina, who cited the new Prime Minister’s honesty and integrity as the defining criteria for his selection.
The Malagasy head of state also commended the new Prime Minister’s past decision to resign from his position as an officer within the Tetezamita after coming under hierarchical pressure.
“This Malagasy nation needs a great decision,” Randrianirina declared, describing the act as evidence of the courage the role demands.
At the appointment ceremony, the President of Reforms set the tone from the outset, calling on the new Prime Minister to form his government “as soon as possible.”
“It is up to you and the new government to implement government policy, and I and the Malagasy people demand swift and precise results,” he said.
Among the priority challenges awaiting the new head of government is the unification of opposition political formations, presented as a major test for the consolidation of the reform process.
“If only the people who follow the river follow the usual politics of the past, nothing will change in Madagascar,” the President of Reforms warned.
The following day, Monday March 16, a formal handover ceremony took place at Mahazoarivo Palace between the outgoing and incoming prime ministers.
Both expressed their gratitude to the President of Reforms for “the great trust” placed in them. In his farewell address, Rajaonarivelo extended his wishes and blessings to his successor.
Taking the floor in turn, the new Prime Minister reaffirmed his determination to continue and deepen the reform efforts already underway, stating that “there is no option but to succeed in the interest of the Malagasy people.”
He pledged to lead a “transparent cleansing of the administration” in pursuit of tangible results, alongside the reunification of all Malagasy people across the national territory.
Randrianirina came to power in October 2025 after the Constitutional Council declared a vacancy of power following the abrupt departure of Andry Rajoelina.
The former president had been forced from office under pressure from a popular protest movement led by Generation Z, which had shaken the foundations of his regime.
Colonel Randrianirina subsequently launched a process he has called the “Refoundation of the Republic,” the implementation of which now falls to the incoming government.
AC/sf/lb/jn/APA