Amid protests, Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has requested a one-year extension to address power and water shortages, promising to resign if the problems persist.

“I swear that if power cuts persist in the capital within a year, I will resign,” Mr Rajoelina said during a town hall meeting with various groups on Wednesday.

Mr Rajoelina, who had sacked his cabinet members last Monday to appease the protesters, blamed sycophants who told him all was alright in the country, asking those at the town hall to tell him the truth.

“I don’t want flattery. I want to hear the truth. It’s the people who kept telling me that everything was fine who are responsible for our current situation,” Mr Rajoelina said.

Mr Rajoelina’s appeal comes as the protests that broke out on September 25 over power and water shortages entered their third week, with protesters now calling for his resignation. More than 20 people have been killed since.

Protesters remained on the streets of Madagascar, disrupting commercial and other activities as police clamped down on them.

In a recent statement, Volker Türk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, lamented the death of at least 22 people and a hundred injured during the protests.

Mr Türk expressed “shock at the violent response by security forces to the ongoing protests. The authorities must ensure respect for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly”.