Youth-Led Protests in Madagascar: Uncovering the Underlying Causes and Potential Solutions

Strategic Insights -

On September 10, while watching BBC footage of Gen Z protesters in Kathmandu setting fire to Singha Durbar - Nepal's Parliament - I couldn't help but wonder: how could Malagasy youth ever challenge authority so boldly? In a culture steeped in deference to elders, such defiance feels taboo -- yet I sensed that the anger was growing. I was right. Since September 25, thousands of youth have protested chronic power and water shortages across Madagascar, and have faced increasingly violent repression, with at least 22 deaths reported. My dissertation research helps explain why these protests occurred, and how decades of accountability failures and youth marginalisation fuelled this uprising.

Key Takeaways:

  • Decades of unresolved accountability failures in Madagascar have contributed to the current youth protests, which reflect frustration over power and water cuts as well as corruption, impunity, and judicial manipulation.
  • The Corruption Perceptions Index (2024) ranked Madagascar 140th out of 180 countries, highlighting the need for reform to address the root causes of the protests.
  • My research found that Malagasy youth leaders rely on informal sanctions, including exposing wrongdoing and reporting abuses to traditional leaders, but these actions are weakened by shrinking freedom of expression and online repression.
  • Traditional leaders are increasingly rejected by Gen Z, who denounce 'Rayamandrenism,' a tradition that legitimises authority and stifles questioning.
  • Membership claims are a crucial form of representation for accountability, particularly the answerability dimension, and youth leaders relying on membership-based claims are more likely to receive responses from the state.
  • The protests have led to the impeachment of President Rajoelina, with the military announcing a transitional government and elections within two years, but uncertainty remains regarding the government's willingness to address the youth's demands.

Statistics:

  • 22 deaths reported in events related to the youth-led protests across Madagascar.
  • Madagascar scored 26/100 on the Corruption Perceptions Index (2024), ranking 140th out of 180 countries.
  • 31 percent of university cases reported corruption in a 2022 Transparency International-Initiative Madagascar study.
  • 8,501 survey respondents across six regions confirmed widespread sexual corruption in academic settings.
  • Only Antananarivo, Fianarantsoa, and Toliara have functioning youth councils in Madagascar, where national policymaking is largely absent from youth.
  • The population under the age of 18 is 50% of Madagascar.

Sources:

  • Institute of Development Studies press release
  • Corruption Perceptions Index (2024)
  • Transparency International-Initiative Madagascar study (2022)
  • US State Department report (2024)
  • UNDP report on youth participation in national policymaking in Madagascar
  • Michael Saward's constructivist theory of political representation