The head of state is preparing to take the podium at the United Nations for the first time. A significant milestone for international recognition of the Refoundation government.
A historic first. Colonel Michaël Randrianirina is set to participate for the first time in the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). A visit that marks a new step in the Refoundation government's desire to be present on the international stage.
As the occupant of Iavoloha indicated upon his return from trips to France and Belgium last week, these visits also aim "to affirm that the Malagasy state is a trustworthy interlocutor and that there is a government that works." After the International Summit on Space in Paris, the UN Summit in New York will be the second international meeting the senior officer will attend this month. His presence at this gathering, held nearly a year after taking power, goes beyond mere protocol. It represents a consecration of state initiatives to consolidate its international credibility.
Colonel Randrianirina's address at the UN podium will give worldwide visibility to the Refoundation government. It will also amplify Madagascar's voice on global issues and their regional and national repercussions. This includes, for example, the Middle East conflict and its impact on oil prices, as well as climate change—particularly important as the island nation relies on climate financing, notably the Green Climate Fund, to accelerate its energy transition.
A National Challenge
This 81st session officially opened on September 8, with its general debate running primarily from September 22-26. This year's theme is "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformations: A United Nations Fit for All." Diplomatically, this sequence can also be read as another step in normalizing relations between the Refoundation government and the UN. Unlike the African Union (AU), which has excluded Madagascar from all its activities, the UN has not sanctioned Madagascar, though it expressed serious reservations following the military takeover on October 14, 2025.
The Presidency has not yet published the head of state's schedule during his New York stay or the date of his address to the UN General Assembly. However, sources indicate the senior officer's departure is planned for this weekend. Madagascar's embassy in the United States announces he will meet with the diaspora in New Jersey on September 23. He is expected to return home before September 25, when a state ceremony commemorating the start of the September-October 2025 demonstrations is scheduled—popular movements that led to his rise to power.
The coincidence with current social conditions and those of a year ago is not lost on observers. Madagascar is again experiencing prolonged power outages, while water and energy supply difficulties were precisely among the triggers for the 2025 mobilizations. It was in this same tense social context that Andry Rajoelina, the former president, flew to New York last year to participate in what would be his final UN Summit. He delivered his address at the UN podium on September 24, 2025, just hours before the September 25 demonstrations erupted.
A year later, the context gives particular significance to Michaël Randrianirina's visit. International recognition is certainly an important milestone for a government born from political rupture. But it alone cannot address the expectations expressed during the 2025 movement. The real challenge is national. As the first anniversary of these events approaches, several demands remain at the heart of concerns. Water and electricity supply remains a major challenge, alongside expectations regarding good governance, anti-corruption efforts, individual and democratic freedoms, and the conduct of the Republic's refoundation.
Garry Fabrice Ranaivoson