(MENAFN- Live Mint) (Bloomberg) -- Colonel Michael Randrianirina, whose army faction seized power in Madagascar on Tuesday after weeks of deadly anti-government protests, said he will be sworn in as president.

“We will probably take an oath soon,” he told reporters in Antananarivo, the capital, on Wednesday.“But that's not our main concern right now. What matters to us today is working, solving social problems.”

Randrianirina earlier told The Associated Press he was taking the position of president. His comments follow a request Tuesday by the constitutional court that he assume the role of head of state after President Andry Rajoelina went into hiding.

The 51-year-old former nightclub DJ declared a coup was underway and took refuge after the colonel's unit publicly supported so-called Gen Z protesters.

Demonstrations erupted last month on the Indian Ocean island nation located off Mozambique as frustration over water and power shortages sent thousands of young people onto the streets, escalating into clashes with security forces in which at least 22 people died.

The outburst of anger over a lack of basic services and government corruption mirrors recent youth-led backlashes in countries including Morocco, Indonesia, Nepal and Kenya.

Local media said life was returning to normal in the capital on Wednesday and the protesters had begun disbursing.

“We are holding consultations to quickly find a prime minister, so that we can promptly appoint government members and start working,” the colonel said.“Without a government, it's hard to move forward.”

The whereabouts of Rajoelina, who condemned the army takeover, remains unclear. He said in a social media post on Monday that he withdrew to a safe place after discovering a plot against his life and implied that he had left the country.

Radio France International reported Monday that the president was evacuated by a French military aircraft on the previous day at the request of President Emmanuel Macron. France, the former colonial power, hasn't confirmed that it played a role.

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries on the planet, with four out of five residents living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank. It's had several military coups since gaining independence in 1960.

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--With assistance from Helen Nyambura.

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