Following apparent refusal by the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe to resign after spending nearly four decades in power, the country's parliament on Tuesday introduced a motion seeking his impeachment from office. The impeachment motion which will be heard in a joint sitting of the lower and upper house of the parliament accuses Mugabe of being "the source of instability" within government and allowing his wife, Grace Mugabe, to "usurp constitutional power."
According to Section 97 sub-section 3 of the country's constitution, once the joint session of the parliament passes a resolution seeking the removal of the incumbent President, by obtaining the required two-third majority, he ceases to be president and would be stripped of all his constitutional powers and privileges.
The ruling party in Zimbabwe had sacked Mugabe as the party leader and gave him deadline top resign. President Mugabe however remained defiant, insisting that he remains the legitimate leader of the country.
Recall that on November 15, the Military confined President Mugabe to his residence in an operation purportedly targeted at plucking criminal elements around the President who are responsible for the woes plaguing the country. Although the action was termed a coup by local and international media, the military denied that it had ousted the President.
Following the military action, thousands of Zimbabweans took to the streets to protest against President Muagabe's refusal to quit. They called for his immediate resignation. Meanwhile, the new leader of ZANU-PF Emmerson Mnangagwa who was recently sacked by Mugabe as his Vice President has called on him to resign as the people no longer want him.
"The people of Zimbabwe have spoken with one voice and it is my appeal to President Mugabe that he should take heed of this clarion call and resign forthwith so that the country can move forward and preserve his legacy"
