Richard Ratsimandrava
Encyclopedia
Colonel
Richard Ratsimandrava (March 21, 1931 Antananarivo
– February 11, 1975 Antananarivo) was President of Madagascar for six days in February 1975. His assassination in 1975 led to a civil war.
with a less "aristocratic" background thus was more palatable to population. A graduate of the French Saint Cyr military college
, Ratsimandrava served throughout French Africa before returning to Madagascar when that country gained independence in 1960. He joined the army, attaining the rank of lieutenant-colonel by 1968. In 1972 President Gabriel Ramanantsoa
established a military government to replace the independence government of Philibert Tsiranana
, and Ratsimandrava was appointed Minister of the Interior. In this position, he was able to manipulate the army, which led to the ousting of Ramanantsoa on February 5, 1975.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Richard Ratsimandrava (March 21, 1931 Antananarivo
Antananarivo
Antananarivo , formerly Tananarive , is the capital and largest city in Madagascar. It is also known by its French colonial shorthand form Tana....
– February 11, 1975 Antananarivo) was President of Madagascar for six days in February 1975. His assassination in 1975 led to a civil war.
Military career
He was born in 1931 and was a MerinaMerina
The Merina are an ethnic group from Madagascar. The Merina are concentrated in the Highlands and speak the official dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in southern Borneo. Their ancestors, the...
with a less "aristocratic" background thus was more palatable to population. A graduate of the French Saint Cyr military college
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...
, Ratsimandrava served throughout French Africa before returning to Madagascar when that country gained independence in 1960. He joined the army, attaining the rank of lieutenant-colonel by 1968. In 1972 President Gabriel Ramanantsoa
Gabriel Ramanantsoa
Gabriel Ramanantsoa was the President and Prime Minister of Madagascar from 1972 to 1975.Ramanantsoa was a member of the Merina ethnic group, and came from a wealthy family. He was a career officer in the French army. After Madagascar became independent, he joined the Madagascar military, rising...
established a military government to replace the independence government of Philibert Tsiranana
Philibert Tsiranana
Philibert Tsiranana was a Malagasy politician and leader, who served as the first President of Madagascar from 1959 to 1972....
, and Ratsimandrava was appointed Minister of the Interior. In this position, he was able to manipulate the army, which led to the ousting of Ramanantsoa on February 5, 1975.
