Former Vice President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa will, later today (Wednesday) be officially announced as the new president of that country following his nomination by the governing party, Zanu-PF to continue the unexpired term of Robert Gabriel Mugabe.

Mnangagwa’s swearing-in ceremony will be held on Friday and he is expected to stay in power until August 2018, when fresh elections will be held.

Zimbabwean President, Mugabe resigned on Tuesday after an impeachment process was triggered in the country’s Parliament to have him removed from office.

Robert Mugabe


The move to oust Mugabe was prompted by the dismissal of Emmerson Mnangagwa as vice-president two weeks ago; a decision which was seen by many as clearing the way for Mr Mugabe’s wife, Grace, to succeed her husband as leader.

The development riled the military leadership, who stepped in and put Mr Mugabe under house arrest.

Meanwhile, Mnangagwa’s nomination is expected to be announced later in the day by Speaker of Zimbabwe’s Parliament, Jacob Mudenda.

Speaking in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, a law lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, Professor Lovemore Madhuku said Mnangagwa’s comeback is lawful.

“There is no problem with it, in terms of our constitution,” he said.

The law professor explained that per their constitution, the next person to succeed a president who has been removed from office or resigns is supposed to be nominated by the governing party.

“Unfortunately the position is that when a President leaves office, removed or resigns, his political party is the one that will simply nominate a person who they wish to be president and send it to the Speaker of Parliament. And that person must be sworn into office within 48 hours of that party nominating and communicating with the Speaker of Parliament. So I think that he has already been nominated by his party that is the Zanu-PF party.”

“He can only be president for the unexpired period of Robert Mugabe. That unexpired period ends in August 2018. By 22 August, 2018 that is when his term ends. It will end when a new president is elected under the constitutional arrangement. So it’s only about eight to nine months now,” Prof. Madhuku added.

Zimbabweans in jubilant mood

A Zimbabwean journalist, Paidamoyo Muzulu, who was also interviewed on the Citi Breakfast Show said the people of Zimbabwe are still in a jubilant mood.

“It’s a real situation in Zimbabwe. We didn’t believe that such thing could happen in our lifetime and there were celebrations all over the city when the announcement was made. And the celebrations went all over into this morning when people were still celebrating the fall of comrade Mugabe whom they termed a dictator.”

He said the people are currently looking forward to the “installation of the new president until we hold elections next year if they will be held.”

“This afternoon, the Parliamentary speaker is holding a press briefing where he will be announcing the transitional mechanism, so we expect that by the end of day, Mnangagwa would have been installed as the new president of the republic,” the journalist added.

History will remember heroic Mugabe kindly – Mahama

Former President of Ghana, John Mahama, in a Facebook post, described Mugabe as a liberation hero, a patriot and a great Pan Africanist, stating that history will “remember him kindly”.

“A sad ending for a liberation hero, a patriot and a great Pan Africanist. I pray the dramatic events of November serve as a reboot for democracy and prosperity in #Zim. History will remember Comrade Mugabe kindly,” John Mahama posted.

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Source: citifmonline.com