HARARE: Former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa will be sworn in as Zimbabwe’s interim President on Friday, the Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Mudenda, said here Wednesday.
Mnangagwa was nominated by the ruling ZANU-PF party on Sunday to replace former President Robert Mugabe, who resigned on Tuesday after being deposed by his party as both party and State president over a number of charges, including abrogating constitutional responsibilities to his wife, Grace, told Bernama.
Mugabe’s resignation, after serving as president since the country gained independence from Britain in 1980, came in the wake of the army’s intervention in government affairs, and parliamentary impeachment proceedings being initiated against the 93-year-old former president.
Mnangagwa’s take-over of power, both in the party and State, marks an extraordinary come-back after Mugabe fired him as Vice-President two weeks ago, allegedly for showing too much ambition for his throne.
Mudenda told journalists that, as required by the Constitution, Zanu PF had formally notified him of its nominee to replace Mugabe, and the swearing-in ceremony had been scheduled for Friday.
“Zanu PF has notified me that the Central Committee of Zanu-PF met in a special session at the party Headquarters in Harare on 19 November 2017 and resolved that in the event that President Mugabe resigned or was impeached, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa was appointed as Zanu-PF’s nominee to fill the vacancy in the office of the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe,” he said.
“Accordingly, Parliament has informed the Chief Secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet of the nomination of Mnangagwa as the nominee in order for him to make the necessary administrative arrangements for the taking of oath of President as provided for in Section 94 as read with the third schedule of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
“The Chief Secretary is making the necessary arrangements for the swearing-in of President E.D. Mnangagwa. I am advised that the searing in ceremony is planned for Friday 24 November 2017.”
Mnangagwa, who fled the country for security reasons after being fired, returned home on Wednesday. He will complete the remainder of Mugabe’s term of office, which was due to end in the middle of next year, when the next general election is due.
