Finally Happened! Robert G. Mugabe Of Zimbabwe Resigns From The Office Of President; Says He Has Don
- Linda EYONG Suzy
- Nov 21, 2017
- 3 min read
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has resigned, parliament speaker Jacob Mudenda has said.
A letter from Mr Mugabe said the decision was voluntary and he had made it to allow a smooth transfer of power.
The surprise announcement halted an impeachment hearing that had begun against him and sparked wild celebrations on the nation's streets.
The ruling Zanu-PF party says former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa will succeed Mr Mugabe, in power since 1980.
Mr Mnangagwa's sacking earlier this month triggered a political crisis.
It had been seen by many as an attempt to clear the way for Grace Mugabe to succeed her husband as leader and riled the military leadership, who stepped in and put Mr Mugabe under house arrest.
After the resignation announcement, lawmakers roared in jubilation.
Mr Mugabe, 93, was until his resignation the world's oldest leader. He had previously refused to quit despite last week's military takeover and days of protests.
According to the constitution his successor should be the current vice-president, Phelekezela Mphoko, a supporter of Grace Mugabe.
But Zanu-PF chief whip Love more Matuke told Reuters news agency that Mr Mnangagwa would be in office "within 48 hours".
Speaking from an undisclosed location earlier on Tuesday, Mr Mnangagwa said he had fled abroad two weeks ago when he learned of a plot to kill him.
'Let him rest in his last days'
UK Prime Minister Theresa May said Mr Mugabe's resignation "provides Zimbabwe with an opportunity to forge a new path free of the oppression that characterised his rule".
She said that former colonial power Britain, "as Zimbabwe's oldest friend", will do all it can to support free and fair elections and the rebuilding of the Zimbabwean economy.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai told the BBC he hoped that Zimbabwe was on a "new trajectory" that would include free and fair elections. He said Mr Mugabe should be allowed to "go and rest for his last days".
In other reaction:
The US Embassy in Harare, the capital, said it was a "historic moment" and congratulated Zimbabweans who "raised their voices and stated peacefully and clearly that the time for change was overdue"
South Africa's main opposition Democratic Alliance welcomed the move, saying Mr Mugabe had turned from "liberator to dictator"
Prominent Zimbabwean opposition politician David Coltart tweeted: "We have removed a tyrant but not yet a tyranny"
Civil society group the Platform for Concerned Citizens called for dialogue between all political parties, which it said should lead to the formation of a national transitional authority
Robert Mugabe won elections during his 37 years in power, but over the past 15 years these were marred by violence against political opponents.
He presided over a deepening economic crisis in Zimbabwe, where people are on average 15% poorer now than they were in 1980.
Media captionActivist and political candidate Vimbaishe Musvaburi "We are tired of this man, we are so glad he is gone"
However, Mr Mugabe was not forced out after decades in power by a popular mass movement but rather as a result of political splits within his Zanu-PF party.
The leader of the influential liberation war veterans - former allies of Mr Mugabe - said after the army takeover that Mr Mugabe was a "dictator", who "as he became old, surrendered his court to a gang of thieves around his wife".
Yet despite huge demonstrations in the streets celebrating what seemed like his impending demise, Robert Mugabe had until now refused to step down.
'It has happened'
His decision to finally resign sparked joy in the streets.
"We are just so happy that things are finally going to change," Togo Ndhlalambi, a hairdresser, told the AFP news agency.
"I am the happiest person under the sun right now, because I always believed that Mugabe was going to step down in my lifetime and it has happened," -human rights activist Linda Masarira told the BBC.
"And now going forward it's time for the opposition to reorganise and ensure that we will have a government that cares for the people. And everyone has to be included."
Kindly read share and give your contributions using the options below.
_______________
Bassona Nkeng
SC Blogger, Lebialem County
We, at The Southern Cameroons Resistance Press, The voice of the oppressed from the valleys of Lebialem, are happy you spent your time reading from our blog. Our wish is that, each of our posts gets to every corner and every interior of the world. Like most of our readers, you are a great contributor to ensure this happens. Kindly click on on or all of the buttons below to share our post on social media. This will keep the wonderful followers you have informed. Also, you can;
Comments