Madagascar President Sacks Ministers, Saying Some Were Poor Performers

Rajoelina’s office gave no reason for the dismissals in a statement issued late on Wednesday.

On Sunday, Rajoelina said the performance of some ministers was unsatisfactory.

“Like in a football team, you have to change when there are failures in government,” he said in comments broadcast on national television.

“There will be a change and this concerns those who do not carry out the work entrusted to them.”

Last week, a senior prosecutor said Madagascar had arrested 21 more suspects, including 12 military personnel, in connection with a plot to kill Rajoelina and topple the government. read more

Six people, one of them a French citizen, were arrested last month on suspicion of involvement in the plot, after what officials said was a months-long investigation in the Indian Ocean island. read more

Madagascar, an impoverished former French colony of 26 million, has a history of political violence and instability. Rajoelina, 44, was sworn in as president in 2019 after a hotly contested election and a constitutional court challenge from his rival.

Rajoelina first took power in a March 2009 coup, unseating Marc Ravalomanana. He remained in control at the head of a transitional government until 2014.

In the 2019 elections, Ravalomanana challenged Rajoelina, lost, and said the vote was fraudulent.