Showing posts with label 2008–09 Zimbabwean political negotiations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2008–09 Zimbabwean political negotiations. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Zimbabwe Military Says Mugabe Impeachment Process Has Begun

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe baffled his country and the world last night when, instead of publicly announcing his resignation, he reaffirmed his intention to stay on as the head of state in Zimbabwe, and admonished members of his ruling ZANU PF party for their “arbitrary decision making” and “victimization.”


Mugabe’s defiance immediately spurred conspiracy theories, including one where military commanders who flanked Mugabe during his speech smuggled him an alternate version following the review of his initial draft.


 



 


Rumors circulated that some ZANU PF lawmakers had fled the country to avoid participating in an impeachment vote, though they were later debunked, according to local media reports. Still, the military’s deadline for Mugabe’s resignation – initially set at noon local time on Monday – has come and gone, and Mugabe remains the nominal leader of Zimbabwe, even if he’s still under house arrest, according to BBC.


However, ZANU PF appears to be reaching the end of its patience with its long-time leader. In a media briefing, party member Paul Mangawana said Zimbabwe’s lawmakers will move to formally impeach Mugabe tomorrow, and that he could be formally removed from office as soon as Wednesday.


Discussions about the impeachment proceedings began Monday, Reuters added.



Reuters added that impeachment would represent an ignominious end to the career of the “Grand Old Man” of African politics, who was once lauded across the continent as an anti-colonial hero. Chief whip Lovemore Matuke told Reuters ZANU-PF members of parliament would meet at 1230 GMT to start mapping out Mugabe’s impeachment.


In the draft motion, the party accused Mugabe of being a “source of instability”, flouting the rule of law and presiding over an “unprecedented economic tailspin” in the last 15 years.


It also said he had abrogated his constitutional mandate by trying to position his unpopular wife, Grace, as his successor.


While the process of impeaching Mugabe looks complex on paper and involves a joint sitting of the Senate and National Assembly, then a nine-member committee of senators, then another joint sitting to confirm his dismissal with a two-thirds majority. However, constitutional experts said ZANU-PF had the numbers and could push it through in as little as 24 hours.


“They can fast-track it. It can be done in a matter of a day,” said John Makamure, executive director of the Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust, an NGO that works with the parliament in Harare.


A statement released Monday evening (local time) by Gen Chiwanga reaffirmed the military’s commitment to ensuring a peaceful transition of power.


 



 


One Zimbabwe lawmaker said there will be another caucus meeting for ZANU PF members beginning at 10 am local time Tuesday. It also noted that the President has called for a cabinet meeting. The MDCT, another party, will also be in caucus, while the president meets with his cabinet.


 



 


However, ZANU PF"s chief whip said that if Mugabe calls a cabinet meeting, no ministers will attend.


 



 


Despite the political upheaval – and the marches that occurred over the weekend – local media reported that people were going on with their lives, on their way to work, children were in class, vendors were on the streets and taxis were meandering through the streets of Harare.


However, while the demonstrations were peaceful, tanks were strategically positioned at Mugabe"s office and other key government institutions, a clear indication that the standoff is far from over.
 









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Sunday, November 19, 2017

"The President Is Gone" - Zimbabwe Ruling Party Officially Ousts Mugabe

Update 3: After a meeting with military officials, Mugabe"s resignation appears imminent...


 



 


* * *


Update 2: Mugabe, who remains under house arrest, is meeting with the commanders of the country"s military shortly after lawmakers approved an ultimatum for the long-time strongman to either resign, or be forced...


 



 


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Update: Initial media reports about Mugabe"s ouster were confusing: While the country"s ruling party had voted to expel him, several sources quoted by western media outlets said the vote was only the trigger to start the process of removing Mugabe, and that he is still technically president of Zimbabwe. 


Fortunately, the ruling Zanu-PF party has issued a quick clarification: Mugabe - who has obstinantly refused to officially abdicate in accordance with the military"s demands - has until noon tomorrow to resign. If he doesn"t, he will be impeached.


 



Zimbabwe"s ruling party confirmed the news in a tweet...


 



 


 


* * *


A day after thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Harare to celebrate the imminent removal of Robert Mugabe, the country’s 93-year-old dictator who’d been effectively deposed during a surprise coup earlier this week, the country’s ruling party has officially voted to remove him from office and install his former deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa, as interim leader.


As we’ve pointed out, Mugabe triggered his own downfall when he fired Mnangagwa last week to try and clear a path for his much-younger wife, Grace, to succeed him as leader of Zimbabwe. Mugabe tried to appoint his 52-year-old wife to Mnangagwa"s former position, which would"ve positioned her to be his successor. However, Mnangagwa’s sudden ouster outraged the leaders of Zimbabwe’s military, who decided to intervene and place Mugabe under house arrest.



Mugabe had resisted the military’s request to step down, so on Friday, the country’s 10 provincial committees resolved to oust Mugabe. That decision was ratified Sunday at a meeting of Zimbabwe’s central executives, according to the head of the country"s influential liberation war veterans.


Meanwhile, ABC reported that Mugabe"s wife Grace - who reportedly fled the country after the coup - has been officially expelled by ZANU-PF, the ruling party. Veterans leader Chris Mutsvangwa said now that Mugabe’s ouster is official, processes to remove the 93-year-old as President could now begin.


Attendants at the meeting sang and danced in celebration after unanimously voting to remove Mugabe.


 



 


After the vote, members of the central committee started singing “Chengetedza” by Jah Prayzah, a popular Zimbabwean musician. According to local media, the song has become an anthem for the de facto anthem of the movement to oust Mugabe.


 



 



Before voting, members of Zimbabwe’s central committee sung the national anthem.


 



 


According to one BBC reporter, journalists were asked to leave the room after the vote as the party set about formalizing the decision.


 



    In his opening remarks at a meeting of ZANU-PF"s Central Committee, Obert Mpofu, the official chairing the gathering, said the party had come together with "a heavy heart,” adding that Mugabe’s wife, Grace, and others in his orbit had taken advantage of his age and feebleness to loot the country’s national resources. Mpofu then hailed the beginning of "a new era, not only for our party but for our nation Zimbabwe,” according to ABC.    


Mpofu said Mugabe was responsible for "many memorable achievements.”


Mugabe, who remains under house arrest, was reportedly supposed to meet Sunday with the military for a second round of talks to negotiate his departure. It’s unclear if this meeting has taken place.


While Zimbabwe lawmakers have voted to begin the process of Mugabe’s ouster, he technically remains the president of Zimbabwe. However, the vote greatly increases the pressure on him to abdicate, the BBC reported.


Veterans leader Mutsvangwa expressed his excitement over Mugabe’s ouster in an interview with local media.


“The president is gone! Long live the new president!”


 



 


Shortly before the vote, local media captured this iconic video of demonstrators tearing down a billboard advertising the Zimbabwe Youth League, a pro-Mugabe group.


 



 


Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since the country won its independence from the UK in 1980. Under his watch, the economy has imploded, leaving 95 percent of the workforce unemployed, according to Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions estimates, and forcing as many as 3 million people into exile.


While Zimbabwe"s ruling party led the effort to oust Mugabe, opposition lawmakers had threatened to begin impeachment proceedings if he was not swiftly removed, according to Fox News.


"If Mugabe is not gone by Tuesday, then as sure as the sun rises from the east, impeachment process will kick in," said Innocent Gonese, a member of the opposition MDC-T party.


Hope for a better future crested on Sunday. But whether life will measurably improve for the people of Zimbabwe remains to be seen…


 



 


 









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Thursday, November 16, 2017

Zimbabwe Stock Market Crashes - What Happens After Mugabe?

In the last two days, the Zimbabwe stock market has crashed almost 10% as a "not-military-coup" has ousted 93-year-old President Mugabe - the question is, what happens next?


Bloomberg reports that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s refusal to publicly resign is stalling plans by the military to swiftly install a transitional government after seizing power on Wednesday, two people familiar with the situation said.


That uncertainty is clearly showing up in Zimbabwe stocks...



The military wants Mugabe, who’s under house arrest, to agree to step aside so it can claim its action isn’t a coup and head off tension with the Southern African Development Community, which includes Zimbabwe and South Africa, the people said. The group previously intervened when the army took over in Lesotho.


However, as a reminder, Pedzisayi Ruhanya, the director of the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute, warns,


“Mugabe wants to die in office and is not interested in seeing his successor."


 


“He is not a student of democratic processes.”



Bloomberg goes on to note that the new rulers, headed by armed forces commander Constantino Chiwenga, plan to try and negotiate the establishment of a transitional government with the opposition until elections can be held to restore stability, the people said.


But first they want a deal with Mugabe, whose 37-year rule left an economy that has halved in size since 2000, a severe cash shortage that’s choking businesses and a collapse in government services.


The military has declined to comment on its plans.


“The military, or the people who are now in charge, obviously they have some respect for Mugabe -- he is someone who has led them for so many years,”Alex Magaisa, a Zimbabwean law lecturer who helped design the southern African nation’s 2013 constitution, said in a interview with Bloomberg Television in London.


 


“I think there is still some residual sympathy for him. They wouldn’t want to be seen to be mistreating him.”



The operation to take power had been planned for weeks but was accelerated after Mugabe fired his deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa, according to the people.



Many ordinary people simply hope that the authorities can improve daily life in Zimbabwe, where an estimated 95 percent of the workforce is jobless.The country doesn’t even have its own currency and relies mainly on the dollar.


“I hope and pray this takeover will bring lasting solutions for us,” said James Saunyama, as he collected his weekly allocation of $50 in coins from a bank in Harare.


 


“We’ve endured enough so this takeover must give us better and improved lifestyles going forward.”



The new rulers also want to repair relations with Western countries, who used to be among the biggest investors in the country, and international lenders, the people said.


They will seek investment from the more than 3 million people who left Zimbabwe because of the economic collapse including the white farmers driven off their land, the people said.


Mark Bohlund, Africa economist with Bloomberg Intelligence in London, expects Zimbabwe’s economic challenges to persist even if there is a power shift and the country adopts more orthodox economic policies.


“Expectations for quick progress toward receiving financial support and potential debt relief should be tempered,” Bohlund said.


 


“The huge challenges ahead and continued political uncertainty is likely to deter inward investment for many years to come.”



We leave it to Pedzisayi Ruhanya to sum things up...


“The chaos happening in Zimbabwe and ZANU-PF is what happens when the end of an authoritarian era approaches."










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