ANTANANARIVO: Riot police locked down the centre of Madagascar's capital on Friday ahead of planned fresh protests against President Andry Rajoelina, the political elite and years of misrule.

The near-daily rallies, which began on September 25 in Antananarivo, have since spread to other parts of the Indian Ocean island, posing the most significant challenge yet to Rajoelina's tenure since his 2023 re-election.

The 51-year-old leader, a former mayor of Antananarivo, on Monday sacked his government to placate the anger but protests have gained ground, including in the city of Sambava, known as the world's vanilla capital and a major foreign exchange earner for the country.

After a 24-hour "strategic" pause in the capital, several branches of the protest movement said they would reconvene at 11:00 am local time (0800 GMT). But their planned meeting point in the city's main square was placed under heavy security surveillance, AFP journalists saw.

Police pickups sped through the city centre, while shops stayed shut along the capital's main Independence Avenue. Just three kilometers away, life went on as usual, with schoolchildren in the streets, vegetable vendors opening up and steady traffic flowing.

The protesters have demanded that Rajoelina step down due to his failure to deliver basic services, including water and electricity.

The "Gen Z" movement leading the protests on Thursday named its spokespeople and outlined its motivations. They have called on more organizations to support their campaign. Several unions, including the national water and electricity workers, have called a general strike, while the opposition, in rare unity, has also thrown its support behind them.

Dialogue
Consultations to appoint a new prime minister have meanwhile continued.

In a post on his Facebook page Friday, Rajoelina said he had met religious leaders of the country in a bid to quell the crisis and restore order. "We prayed for our nation together," the president wrote, adding that he also met diplomats and representatives from the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations.

It is the latest bout of unrest to hit Madagascar since its independence from France in 1960.

At least 22 people have been killed and hundreds injured since Thursday last week, according to the UN, a toll the government has denied as based on rumors or misinformation.

Rajoelina, a media mogul, first came to power in 2009 following a coup sparked by an uprising, which ousted former president Marc Ravalomanana. After not contesting the 2013 election under international pressure, he was voted back into office in 2018 and re-elected in 2023 in contested polls boycotted by the opposition.

Widespread corruption
Despite natural resources, the nation of 32 million people remains among the world's poorest countries. Nearly three-quarters of its population were living below the poverty line in 2022, according to the World Bank. Corruption is widespread, with the country ranking 140th out of 180 in Transparency International's index.

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Madagascar capital under tight security for new anti-government protest