Madagascar’s interim military president, Michael Randrianirina, has ordered that prospective ministers undergo polygraph examinations as part of a new integrity screening process, saying the move is intended to weed out corrupt officials after he abruptly dismissed the prime minister and cabinet earlier this month.
Randrianirina — who took power in an October coup following weeks of youth-led “Gen Z Madagascar” protests — told local media the tests will help determine who can be trusted to serve. He said a new cabinet will be named soon and described the polygraph checks as a way to identify those likely to betray the protesters’ cause.
The unrest began in September over water and power outages and rapidly broadened into calls for sweeping political change. The United Nations says at least 22 people were killed in the opening days of the demonstrations. On 11 October an elite military unit known as Capsat publicly sided with protesters; the following day President Andry Rajoelina reportedly left for Dubai on a French military aircraft. Randrianirina was sworn in as interim president and has pledged to hold elections by late 2027, a timeline Gen Z activists have pressed him to stick to while criticizing some of his cabinet choices as linked to the old regime.
Randrianirina dismissed the government on 9 March and named anti-corruption chief Mamitiana Rajaonarison as his proposed prime minister. He said he and Rajaonarison will only consider ministerial candidates who pass the polygraph screenings, adding they are looking for officials who are “more than 60% clean” rather than flawless, and arguing that such standards are necessary for Madagascar’s development.
Some Gen Z organisers voiced scepticism about the approach. A manager of the movement’s social media accounts called polygraphs unreliable and described the plan as embarrassing, though they said they still hoped new ministers might improve governance and viewed the current regime as an advance over Rajoelina’s.
Madagascar remains one of the poorest nations in the world; its GDP per capita was roughly $545 in 2024. The island is rich in commodities like vanilla and precious stones, resources activists say have long been siphoned off by corrupt officials and business figures. Transparency International placed Madagascar 148th out of 180 countries on its 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index.
Agence-France Presse and the Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.