Andry Rajoelina asks for one year to solve the problems, otherwise he will resign

Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina asked for one year to address the challenges facing the country, and promised to resign if these challenges persist.

He said this during a meeting held at his palace with various groups of government supporters. Many attendees had the opportunity to ask the President questions or simply share their views – which he responded to.

“I don’t want flattery. I want to hear the truth. The people who kept telling me everything was fine are responsible for our current situation,” he said.

The movement behind the protest, known as Gen Z Mada, called for the president’s resignation and declined an invitation to attend the talks.

They say they cannot deal with a government that oppresses them while demanding basic human rights. The group called for new protests on Thursday.

“We reject the president’s invitation to hold talks,” they wrote on their Facebook page. “We will not enter into dialogue with a regime that oppresses, assaults, and humiliates its youth in the streets.”

Rajoelina held these meetings as part of his pledge to “listen more”, stressing that the challenges facing the Indian Ocean island nation can only be resolved through honest talks, not protests.

The President assured the dialogue participants that the ongoing energy projects will address the recurring outages by adding 265 megawatts to the national grid.

He said, “I swear that if the power outage continues in the capital within a year, I will resign.”

The protests began on September 25 over anger over persistent electricity and water shortages, and have escalated into broader discontent over corruption, high unemployment, and the cost of living crisis.

Last week, Rajoelina dismissed his entire government and appointed an army general as prime minister on Monday. The protest movement rejected the appointment and pledged to continue its struggle.

Rajoelina came to power in 2009 after leading mass protests that led to military intervention and ousted then-President Marc Ravalomanana.

Although the youth-led movement continues to demand his resignation, street protests appear to have weakened.

Life continues in most parts of the capital, Antananarivo, as usual, with the exception of a few neighborhoods witnessing a heavy police presence, and some roads have been closed or closely monitored.

At least 22 people were killed in clashes with security forces and dozens were injured, according to the United Nations. The authorities questioned these numbers.