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Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe resigns after 37 years in power.<\/p>\n
The Parliament speaker delivered the news as impeachment proceedings began.<\/p>\n
Jubilant crowds are cheering in central Harare as Zimbabweans celebrate the resignation of Robert Mugabe after 37 years as president<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe\u2019s long serving ruler, Robert Mugabe finally resigned, 48 hours after he said he would be around till next month to chair the convention of ZANU-PF.<\/p>\n
Mugabe\u2019s hold on the country since 1980 had been whittled down since last week after the rebellion by the armed forces, who seized control of the country but denied that their intervention was a military coup.<\/p>\n
But since then, the military control had unraveled in slow motion, with Mugabe even being allowed to make a broadcast on Sunday, in which he surprisingly refused to resign.<\/p>\n
The news of his resignation announced by the speaker of the parliament, after days of dramatic standoff ignited wild jubilation in Harare and other cities.<\/p>\n The bombshell announcement was made by the Speaker at a special joint session of parliament which had convened to impeach the 93-year-old who has dominated every aspect of Zimbabwean public life for decades.<\/p>\n \u201cI Robert Gabriel Mugabe in terms of section 96 of the constitution of Zimbabwe hereby formally tender my resignation\u2026 with immediate effect,\u201d said the letter which was read out by parliamentary speaker Jacob Mudenda.<\/p>\n \u201cMy decision to resign is voluntary on my part. It arises from my concern for the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe and my desire to ensure a smooth, peaceful and non-violent transfer of power that underpins national security, peace and stability.\u201d<\/p>\n It capped an unprecedented week in which the military seized control and tens of thousands of ordinary Zimbabweans took to the streets in an extraordinary show of defiance to demand that he leave.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are just so happy that things are finally going to change,\u201d Togo Ndhlalambi, a 32-year-old hairdresser, told AFP.<\/p>\n Men were breakdancing, women were singing and children were in tears, all brandishing national flags and praising General Constantino Chiwenga who led the army takeover as the news began to sink in.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s shocking, that guy is powerful, very powerful,\u201d said Barber Wright Chirombe who was also taking part in the euphoric celebrations.<\/p>\n Mugabe had ruled Zimbabwe almost unopposed since independence in 1980 but efforts to position his wife Grace as his successor triggered fury in the military that had underpinned his regime.<\/p>\n His grip on power was shattered last week when armoured military vehicles took to the streets, blockaded parliament and placed the president under house arrest in an operation that had all the hallmarks of a coup.<\/p>\n But the generals stressed they were simply \u201carresting\u201d criminals around Mugabe \u2014 a reference Grace\u2019s supporters \u2014 and they even allowed the one-time liberation hero to appear at a public function and deliver a televised speech.<\/p>\n As the crisis grew, the ruling ZANU-PF party, an instrument of Mugabe\u2019s ruthless decades-long rule, removed him as party leader and began parliamentary proceedings to have him impeached.<\/p>\n \u2013 Open dissent \u2013<\/p>\n His likely successor is former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose dismissal on November 6 triggered the crisis.<\/p>\n A former close ally of Mugabe, Mnangagwa had been Grace Mugabe\u2019s chief rival to succeed him. Grace has not been seen since the start of the crisis.<\/p>\n However, under Zimbabwe\u2019s constitution, it is second Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko who would ordinarily take over as head of state.<\/p>\n Veterans of the independence war \u2014 who were also formerly key Mugabe allies \u2014 had also turned against him, demanding he stand down immediately and organising last weekend\u2019s mass protests.<\/p>\n On Saturday, in scenes of public euphoria not seen since independence, huge crowds marched and sang their way through Harare and other cities in peaceful celebrations to mark his fading power.<\/p>\n If this is the happiness a nation feels when you resign, your life’s legacy is one of suffering and despair. Goodbye ?? Mugabe<\/p>\n NAN<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe resigns after 37 years in power. The Parliament speaker delivered the news as impeachment proceedings began. Jubilant crowds are cheering in central Harare as Zimbabweans celebrate the resignation of Robert Mugabe after 37 years as president Zimbabwe\u2019s long serving ruler, Robert Mugabe finally resigned, 48 hours after he said he would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/18694-presscdn.pagely.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/IMG_5616-e1511286964769.jpg\")
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