Colonel Michael Randrianirina was sworn in as Madagascar’s new president on Friday, just days after the military seized power and ousted former leader Andry Rajoelina, who fled the country following three weeks of mass protests.

Randrianirina, the commander of an elite unit that mutinied last week and joined anti-government demonstrations, took the oath of office during a ceremony at the High Constitutional Court in the capital, Antananarivo, according to AFP journalists.

The newly installed leader had broken ranks with Rajoelina, urging soldiers not to open fire on protesters. Randrianirina previously commanded an elite unit that played a key role in the 2009 coup which first brought Rajoelina to power.