Madagascar's High Constitutional Court on Thursday threw out an opposition lawmaker's bid to remove army Colonel Michael Randrianirina from power, keeping the military strongman in place for now. The ruling leaves intact a transition roadmap that promises a new constitution and a presidential election by the end of 2027.

For searchers following madagascar today, the decision answers the immediate question around who controls the country after months of political upheaval. Randrianirina has led the island since October, after Andry Rajoelina fled as youth-led protests over the lack of water and energy escalated into a broader power shift.

The challenge came from prominent MP Antoine Rajerison, who asked the court to remove Randrianirina and accused him of treason for what he described as serious and repeated violations of the constitution, including in making appointments. But the court said the request did not meet the constitutional requirements for removing a head of state and declared it inadmissible. “It is therefore irregular, and must be declared inadmissible,” the court said.

The ruling matters because it shuts down, at least for now, one of the few legal routes to testing the military takeover. Madagascar is one of the world's poorest countries and the biggest vanilla producer, but its politics have been defined for years by repeated upheaval. Since 2020, it has also joined a wave of former French colonies in Africa that have come under military rule, after coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

That broader instability has not gone away. Young Madagascans have mounted scattered protests in recent weeks over what they describe as the slow pace of reforms, and rights groups say authorities have arrested demonstrators and used heavy-handed tactics. The transition plan remains the central promise offered by the new rulers, but the ruling today does not say whether the election promised for the end of 2027 will stay on schedule, or whether pressure in the streets will force another turn before then.