Person

Philibert Tsiranana

1912–1978 · 20th century

Philibert Tsiranana was the first president of Madagascar, from 1959 to 1972. A teacher from the north-west, he founded the Social Democratic Party in 1956, became head of government of the autonomous Malagasy Republic in 1958 and led the island to independence on 26 June 1960, keeping close ties with France. Student and peasant protests in 1972 forced him to hand power to the army under Gabriel Ramanantsoa.

Philibert Tsiranana — Image: State of Israel Press Office · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

French Madagascar

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Philibert Tsiranana. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/philibert-tsiranana
MLA: “Philibert Tsiranana.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/philibert-tsiranana. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Philibert Tsiranana.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/philibert-tsiranana.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Philibert Tsiranana’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/philibert-tsiranana (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻