Biography
Military career
Richard Ravalomanana began his military career as a second lieutenant in 1986. He spent about forty years in the armed forces,including service at the Mahazoarivo Palace,the residence of the Prime Minister [3] .
During the 2009 Malagasy political crisis,he led a mutiny and the attack on the Intervention Force gendarmerie camp,whose commander,General Zafera,had hesitated to join the pro-Rajoelina camp [3] . After Rajoelina's coup d'État,Ravalomanana was promoted and appointed commander of the interregional district of the national gendarmerie in Antananarivo [3] . During the transitional period that followed,he effectively exercised command of the armed forces,opposing Rajoelina's adversaries and repeatedly refusing the return from exile of former president Marc Ravalomanana [3] .
Remaining loyal to the new regime,he quickly rose to the rank of Army Corps General and held various command positions,notably as head of the national gendarmerie [4] . He was appointed Commander of the Gendarmerie in 2012 [5] .
When Hery Rajaonarimampianina came to power in 2014,he was removed from his position as Commander of the National Gendarmerie [6] .
Political career
He has served as Special Advisor to President Andry Rajoelina for National Security Affairs from 2022 to 2023. Immediately after Razafimahefa was unanimously removed from his position as Senate President by a special Senate session on 12 October 2023,elections were held for Senate President. [7] In the election for Senate President,Ravalomanana was elected as Senate President with 15 votes in favor and 3 abstentions. [8]
On 27 October 2023,the Constitutional Court ruled that presidential powers must be exercised by the President of the Senate,and Ravalomanana assumed the office of interim president. [9]
Boeing aircraft delivered to Iran affair
In July 2025,five Boeing 777-200 aircraft were located in Iran,operating under the colors of the Iranian airline Mahan Air,despite U.S. sanctions. It was later revealed that these aircraft,originating from various Southeast Asian countries,had first obtained provisional registration in Madagascar to bypass these sanctions [10] [11] .
On 31 July,during a Senate session,when questioned about the necessity of a parliamentary inquiry requested by several deputies,Richard Ravalomanana firmly opposed it [12] . On 1 August 2025,the Order of Journalists of Madagascar (OJM) condemned in a statement Ravalomanana’s “reaction and inappropriate remarks”towards a journalist,considering them an attack on press freedom [13] .
Former Deputy Prime Minister Zaza Ramandimbiarison directly accused Richard Ravalomanana of collusion and of “treason against national sovereignty”,and called for his resignation [14] .
On 24 August 2025,after an investigation carried out by the Anti-Corruption Unit,22 people were placed in pre-trial detention for “corruption,abuse of office,forgery in public documents,criminal association and concealment,usurpation of titles,and threats to state security”. The Minister of Transport,Valéry Ramonjavelo,was dismissed from his position on 29 August. Among those indicted was Khushwinder Singh,an Indian national,described by several media outlets as an unofficial adviser to Senate President Richard Ravalomanana,and identified as one of the main suspects [10] [11] [15] . The case took on an international dimension with the involvement of the FBI,Interpol,and the ICAO,which were called upon to support the investigation [16] .
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