Deadline to quit ignored by Zimbabwe's President Mugabe

Last updated: November 20, 2017 at 11:40 am

The deadline set by Zimbabwe’s ruling party for President Robert Mugabe to resign or face impeachment has passed.

The 93-year-old Mr Mugabe remained defiant in a national address on Sunday night.

Members of Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party are now preparing to meet to discuss the his possible impeachment.

He has been fired as ruling party leader but says he will preside at a party congress next month.

Activists and the influential war veterans’ association are vowing more protests to pressure the world’s oldest head of state, who is under military house arrest, to resign.

The association has said the military should step back and let the people, and politics, remove Mr Mugabe from power.

Amid the continuing confusion, CNN reported earlier that Mugabe has agreed to stand down and has drafted a resignation letter, citing a source familiar with his negotiations with the military.

The veterans’ Chris Mutsvangwa, speaking ahead of the deadline, said more protests were planned.

Zimbabweans were astonished that Mr Mugabe, flanked by the military, in a national address on Sunday night did not announce his resignation.

“Your time is up,” Mr Mutsvangwa said as he suggested the military, even though it put Mr Mugabe under house arrest days ago, is still beholden to him and compelled to protect him because he is officially their “commander in chief”.

He also says the war veterans’ association is going to court to argue that Mr Mugabe is “derelict of his executive duty.”