President Hery Rajaonarimampianina of Madagascar has been impeached in a vote late on Tuesday by the island-nation.
The vote said to have been made by 121 of 151 members of parliament has to be ratified by the country’s constitutional court. Already the vote is in dispute, with Rajaonarimampianina’s supporters claiming the parliament only had 102 members in attendance during the session. The Parliament cannot pass a vote of impeachment without the support of two-thirds of members.
In a radio and television broadcast, Rajaonarimampianina said the country needed stability and not political wrangling. Dismissing corruption allegations and questioning the vote count, he said: “I’m still there. I’m still standing.”
Rajaonarimampianina was elected at the end of 2013, after the country had suffered five years of political turmoil following the coup of 2009 that ousted Marc Ravalomanana from power.
Rajaonarimampianina critics said he has dragged the church into politics when half the nation are not Christians and failed to deliver on his promises.
Ahead of the parliamentary vote, the US embassy in Antananarivo urged the MPs to put the stability of the country first.