{"id":32499,"date":"2017-11-23T17:30:03","date_gmt":"2017-11-23T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apnlive.com\/?p=32499"},"modified":"2017-11-23T17:30:05","modified_gmt":"2017-11-23T12:00:05","slug":"zimbabwe-mnangagwa-to-take-oath-as-new-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apnlive.com\/world-news\/zimbabwe-mnangagwa-to-take-oath-as-new-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Zimbabwe: Mnangagwa to take oath as new President"},"content":{"rendered":"

This will mark a new era for the country ruled by Robert Mugabe for 37 years. He resigned on Tuesday after a huge pressure from military and masses<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The ruling ZANU-PF party had expelled Mugabe and nominated Mnangagwa to lead the nation. The parliament speaker Jacob Mudenda has announced the oath taking schedule on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Mugabe had ousted Mnangagwa as vice president two weeks ago for paving way for his wife Grace to occupy the second most important office in the country. Mnangagwa fled for his safety and thereafter military seized power. He returned to Zimbabwe on Wednesday, a day after Mugabe sent his resignation to the Parliament.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Mnangagwa issued a statement from an undisclosed location asking Zimbabweans to unite for rebuilding the nation. Mugabe faced virtual house arrest for almost a week, facing expulsion by his own ZANU-PF party and massive protests urging him to quit the office.<\/p>\n

Mugabe finally sent his resignation<\/a> to parliament speaker when law makers had already started impeachment proceedings against him.<\/p>\n

People jubilantly danced in the streets and brandished posters of Mnangagwa and army Chief General Constantino Chiwenga to appreciate their role in removing Robert Mugabe.<\/p>\n

The end of Mugabe\u2019s political career leaves Zimbabwe facing a different situation than the other African countries where veteran leaders have either been toppled in popular uprisings or through elections.<\/p>\n

But transfer of power in Zimbabwe has taken a different path. The army had to intervene for paving way for Mnangagwa to hold the highest constitutional post. \u00a0Earlier Mnangagwa was heading security when rights groups claim 20,000 civilians were killed in 1980s.<\/p>\n

According to observers, new leader will face the task of restoring tarnished economy. Western countries had imposed sanctions in the early 2000s because of country\u2019s poor human rights record.<\/p>\n

Britain wants Zimbabwe to rejoin international community. The new Zimbabwean leader Mnangagwa met South Africa\u2019s President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria on Wednesday. \u00a0Jacob Zuma sent two emissaries to Harare on the day military took over all powers.<\/p>\n

Robert Mugabe is one of those African leaders who fought for independence and ruled their respective countries. His contemporaries include Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana, Jomo Kenyatta in Kenya, Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Ivory Coast and Nelson Mandela in South Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"