Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina addresses a state ceremony on September 2 in the country's capital, Antananarivo. Alexander Joe/AP Antananarivo, Madagascar Reuters —

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina said on Tuesday he had dissolved the lower house of parliament, escalating a standoff with youth-led protesters and the military that forced him to flee the island.

A presidency decree on Facebook said the 51-year-old Rajoelina had consulted with the leaders of the National Assembly and the upper house Senate, but the legality of his gambit was unclear.

In a defiant address from an undisclosed location on Monday evening, Rajoelina refused to step down despite weeks of Gen Z protests demanding his resignation and widespread defections in the army.

Rajoelina said he ha

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