The transitional authorities in Madagascar have stripped former President Andry Rajoelina of his Malagasy citizenship in a decree published on 25 October 2025.
According to media reports, the Gazette decree applies just 10 days after his impeachment on 14 October and his flight from the country amid mass protests.
The decree states that Rajoelina’s Malagasy nationality was revoked on the grounds that he voluntarily acquired French citizenship in 2014, a move that under Malagasy law results in automatic loss of Malagasy citizenship. The nationality revocation effectively bars Rajoelina from contesting future elections in Madagascar.
The move comes in the wake of a military takeover led by the elite CAPSAT unit under Colonel Michael Randrianirina, who has since been installed as transitional president.
Authorities said the nationality action was part of the incoming regime’s efforts to cleanse the political system and ensure that only citizens without foreign ties hold elective office.
International observers have raised concerns about due-process and the legality of the measure, warning that the action, in the context of a coup and mass political upheaval, may undermine democratic norms. Rajoelina’s legal team or French government officials are yet to issue a public response.
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