Madagascar’s military President, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, has launched an unusual and controversial anti-corruption measure: he’s ordered that all candidates seeking ministerial positions in the transitional government must first pass a lie detector (polygraph) test before they can be considered for office.

In a televised announcement from the capital Antananarivo, Randrianirina explained that the island nation had purchased a polygraph machine and brought in a specialist operator to manage the screening process.

The requirement applies to every aspiring minister, from finance to foreign affairs, and serves as a precondition before any formal interview with him and his newly appointed prime minister. Applicants who fail the test will not proceed further in the selection process.

“We will know who is corrupt and who can help us,” Randrianirina told reporters, conceding that the goal was not to find perfectly clean individuals but those judged to be “more than 60 % clean” according to the machine’s reading.

This decree comes on the heels of a sweeping shake-up of the government, including the dismissal of the entire previous cabinet and the appointment of anti-corruption chief Mamitiana Rajaonarison as prime minister earlier this month.

The polygraph mandate marks a striking moment in Madagascar’s turbulent political transition, which began after Colonel Randrianirina seized power in a coup in October 2025, ousting President Andry Rajoelina amid weeks of protests led largely by young people demanding change and an end to entrenched corruption.

Supporters of the initiative argue it signals a break from past practices in a country long plagued by graft.

Madagascar regularly ranks near the bottom of global corruption indices, and for many citizens, corruption has been a persistent barrier to economic opportunity and good governance.

Proponents of the lie detector tests see them as a bold attempt to inject accountability into a system where patronage and opaque appointments have been endemic.

Randrianirina, a career military officer who now heads the transitional government, has pledged to hold national elections by late 2027, framing the polygraph requirement as part of broader efforts to restore public trust and reset political norms.

Whether this unconventional vetting process will curb corruption or simply become another symbol of political theatre remains to be seen, but it underscores the profound challenges Madagascar faces as it navigates its path between military rule and a hoped-for democratic renewal.