Madagascar's National Assembly votes to impeach President Rajoelina

ANTANANARIVO -- The National Assembly of Madagascar, the lower house of the country's bicameral parliament, on Tuesday voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina during an extraordinary session in the capital, Antananarivo, despite the Presidency's earlier announcement that the assembly had been dissolved.

"The impeachment of President Andry Rajoelina has been voted. Among the 131 members of parliament present during the vote, 130 voted in favor of the impeachment, while one abstained," said the assembly's Vice President, Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, following the session.

The decision came just hours after Rajoelina announced the dissolution of the National Assembly.

Local media quoted Randrianasoloniaiko as saying that the dissolution decree was "devoid of legal validity due to the absence of formal validation."

On the same day, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, a Malagasy military officer, announced that state power in Madagascar has been taken over by a military council comprising members of the army, gendarmerie and national police.

Randrianirina said the constitution has been suspended and new national structures established "to meet the aspirations of the Malagasy people."

He also announced the dissolution of key public institutions, including the Senate, the High Constitutional Court and the National Independent Electoral Commission.