Madagascar swears in Randrianirina as president after coup

Colonel Michael Randrianirina was sworn in as Madagascar's president on Friday after leading a military takeover this week that forced President Andry Rajoelina to flee the country and put the capital under army control. The ceremony at the High Constitutional Court in Antananarivo formalized a rapid transfer of power three days after Randrianirina announced the armed forces were assuming authority amid weeks of mass protests.

Randrianirina, commander of the elite CAPSAT unit, said the military would run the country through a transitional council with him as head for between 18 months and two years before elections are held. He pledged to restore stability and address insecurity and social problems, saying, "We are staying here for at least 18 months, at most two years," and promising to appoint a prime minister to form a civilian government quickly.

The takeover followed three weeks of largely youth-led demonstrations that began over chronic power and water outages and expanded to broader grievances including poverty, high living costs, limited access to higher education and allegations of corruption. The United Nations said at least 22 people were killed in clashes related to...