Michael Randrianirina has announced that all candidates seeking ministerial positions in Madagascar will undergo lie detector tests in an unprecedented move aimed at tackling corruption.
“We will know who is corrupt and who can help us,” Randrianirina told reporters, adding that applicants who fail the polygraph test “will not proceed to an interview.”
Authorities say the government has acquired a polygraph machine and brought in a specialist to administer the tests. Candidates who pass will then be interviewed by both the president and the prime minister.
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“We are not looking for someone who is 100% clean, but someone who is more than 60% clean,” Randrianirina said.
Randrianirina, a colonel in an elite army unit, came to power in October after ousting former president Andry Rajoelina following weeks of youth-led protests driven by frustration over poverty and limited economic opportunities.
Last week, he dismissed the entire cabinet before appointing a new prime minister, Mamitiana Rajaonarison, to lead a restructured government.
The transitional leader has pledged to organise elections within two years as part of a broader effort to restore stability and public trust in state institutions.
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