Madagascar's president, Michael Randrianirina, has a new rule. New ministers must take a lie detector test. This announcement was made on Thursday. It follows the dismissal of the old government. The president wants to fight corruption. He also wants to help young people who are unhappy. President Randrianirina took power in October.
The old government was removed earlier this month. No reason was given. Mamitiana Rajaonarison is the new Prime Minister. He used to be the anti-corruption chief. This shows the president's plan. He wants to stop bad actions by officials. This news came on Sunday. It was before the president chose new ministers.
President Randrianirina said why he is using lie detectors. He wants to check people's honesty. He said, "We will know who is corrupt." He also said, "We will know who can help us." This is important for the youth movement. The group is called "Gen Z Madagascar." They started protesting last September. The protests began because of water and electricity problems. Then, people wanted big political changes.
The president explained the test results. People do not need to be perfect. They need a score of over 60%. Randrianirina said, "Madagascar will finally be able to develop." This means they want people with less chance of doing wrong things. Only those who pass the test will be interviewed. The Prime Minister and president will do the interviews.
There was violence during earlier protests. The UN reported at least 22 deaths. This happened on October 11th. The former president left the country. Now, the government must rebuild trust. Young activists want an election date. President Randrianirina promised elections by late 2027. People want real democratic changes.