The tipping point came when the elite CAPSAT military unit, which once helped Rajoelina seize power in 2009, refused orders to shoot at protesters.

The unit instead escorted thousands of demonstrators through Antananarivo’s central square and announced it was taking control of the army. Soon after, a faction of the gendarmerie, the country’s paramilitary police, also defected—openly apologising in a video statement for their “faults and excesses” during earlier crackdowns.

One rally at the city hall in Antananarivo felt like a festival. “We hope that he will apologise and genuinely announce his resignation,” said Finaritra Manitra Andrianamelasoa, a 24-year-old law student waving a large Gen Z movement flag.

Nineteen-year-old Steven Rasolonjanahary added: “We already expect him to offer his apologies to all Malagasy citizens, as we have had many casualties, relatives, who have been injured during the protests.”

According to the United Nations, at least 22 people have been killed since demonstrations began, while hundreds more have been injured.