Updated: Mugabe Resigns, Speaker of Parliament Says We Will Know By Tomorrow Evening Who Next President Is
Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda has said Zimbabwe will know who its new President is by tomorrow evening. This comes as former President Robert Gabriel Mugabe sent his letter of resignation to the Speaker of Parliament while there was a joint sitting of the Senate and National Assembly to impeach him. The resignation letter was delivered by Justice Minister Happyton Bonyongwe.
In his resignation letter read out by Mudenda, Mugabe said that the decision to retire was voluntary and that he had made it to allow a smooth transfer of power. Thousands of Zimbabweans poured onto the streets to celebrate Mugabe’s resignation.
Mugabe had been under tremendous pressure to step down ever since the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) seized power in a military takeover in the early hours of Wednesday last week. After the military took power, they entered into negotiations with Mugabe to ensure a dignified exit for the man who has led Zimbabwe for the past 37 years. Mugabe, however, seemed to resist resigning and there were several starts and stops to the negotiations.
