HARARE, Zimbabwe �� Tens of thousands of jubilant Zimbabweans joined rallies Saturday to celebrate the imminent departure of President Robert Mugabe, the only leader they've known since independence in 1980.
Mugabe triggered his own downfall by firing Emmerson Mnangagwa as his vice president last week, which prompted the military to intervene and place him under house arrest. On Friday, the ruling party's 10 provincial committees resolved to oust the 93-year-old president, a decision that's set to be ratified by its central executive, perhaps this The nation's parliament is due to reconvene Tuesday and could impeach him should he remain steadfast in his refusal to resign.
In Harare, the capital, crowds gathered at Zimbabwe Grounds in the Highfield township and at Freedom Square in the city center, while smaller groups marched through the streets, singing and dancing. A rally in Bulawayo, the second-largest city, also drew thousands of people. Some protesters draped themselves in the national flag and others embraced soldiers who kept watch on the festivities. Several street signs bearing Mugabe's name were ripped down.
Under Mugabe's 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. His swift and legal exit will enable the military to implement its plan to install a transitional government until elections can be held, without the risk of outside intervention.
Mugabe's decision to fire his long-time ally Mnangagwa could have paved the way for the president's wife Grace and her supporters from a ruling party faction known as the G-40 to gain control of the southern African nation. She said Nov. 5 that she would be prepared to succeed her husband.
The military denies having orchestrated a coup, and says it is targeting only "criminals" close to the president who are damaging the country. The ruling party's provincial committees singled out Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo, Higher Education Minister Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere, the party's political commissar, and said they should be expelled.
"We are at the dawn of a new era," Patrick Chinamasa, whom Mugabe fired as finance minister last month, told the crowd that gathered in Highlands township. Mugabe "should resign forthwith. The criminals who surround him must be arrested and thrown in jail."
Speaking at the same rally, Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri denounced Grace Mugabe and called on the crowd to "march to State House to remove the tyrant."
The gathering was also addressed by opposition party leaders, including Joice Mjuru, whom Mugabe fired as vice president in 2014 and now heads the National People's Party, and Douglas Mwonzora, secretary general of the Movement for Democratic Change. They both called for Mugabe to go immediately.
Under Zimbabwe's constitution, the country's remaining vice president, Phelekezela Mphoko, should step in for Mugabe if he is removed from his post.
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(Kumbuka reported from Johannesburg. Mike Cohen contributed to this report.)
