FeaturedMadagascar’s military ruler decrees that ministers must pass lie detector teststheguardian.com International News Mar - 22 - 2026 , 09:07 3 minutes readMadagascar’s military president has said new ministers will have to pass lie detector tests to root out corrupt candidates, after he dismissed the prime minister and cabinet without explanation earlier this month. Michael Randrianirina came to power in a coup in October after weeks of youth-led protests under the banner “Gen Z Madagascar”. Randrianirina fired the prime minister and cabinet on 9 March, then announced on Sunday that the anti-corruption chief, Mamitiana Rajaonarison, would be the new prime minister. He and Rajaonarison would only interview ministerial candidates who passed a lie detector test, he said on Thursday. That way, Madagascar will finally be able to develop.”One of the managers of Gen Z Madagascar’s social media accounts expressed scepticism at the use of polygraphs.

Source: The Guardian March 22, 2026 09:13 UTC