The president of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina has fled the country after weeks of street protests, the opposition leader has said.
Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko told the Reuters news agency Mr Rajoelina left the country on Sunday after units of the army joined the protesters – and that his whereabouts were unknown.
“We called the staff of the presidency and they confirmed that he left the country”, he said.
He added that members of the National Assembly are also set to begin impeachment proceedings against the 51-year-old.
A military source also told Reuters that Mr Rajoelina flew out of the country on a French military aircraft on Sunday.
French radio RFI said he had struck a deal with President Emmanuel Macron.
No statements have been released from Mr Rajoelina’s office following reports of his departure.
On Monday, Madagascar’s Senate said the president had been relieved of his duties – and Jean Andre Ndremanjary had been appointed on a temporary basis.
In the absence of a president, the leader of the Senate takes the post until elections are held.
The developments came as thousands of people gathered in the capital Antananarivo, shouting “the president must quit now”.
Mr Rajoelina has become increasingly isolated after losing the support of a key army unit, CAPSAT, which helped him seize power during a coup in 2009.
The unit joined protesters on Saturday for one of the biggest demonstrations since the unrest began.
A separate unit of the paramilitary gendarmerie, which had been tackling the protests together with the police, also turned on the government on Sunday, saying it was coordinating with CAPSAT.
The faction took control of the gendarmerie on Monday at a formal ceremony in the presence of senior government officials, a witness told Reuters.
The youth-led demonstrations have been held against corruption and poverty and had demanded Mr Rajoelina’s resignation.
Water and power outages triggered the protests in the Indian Ocean country on 25 September.
The young population – of whom around three-quarters are believed to live in poverty – continued to protest amid general dissatisfaction with Mr Rajoelina.
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At the weekend, Mr Rajoelina’s office released a statement saying he “wishes to inform the nation and the international community that an attempt to seize power illegally and by force” had been “initiated”.
At least 22 people have been killed in clashes between protesters and the security forces since 25 September, according to the UN.
