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Leaders of Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party are meeting on Friday to draft a resolution to dismiss President Robert Mugabe at the weekend, a senior party source has said.
The source said the leaders will lay the ground for his impeachment on Tuesday if Mugabe refused to stand down.
“There is no going back,” the source told Reuters. “If he becomes stubborn, we will arrange for him to be fired on Sunday. When that is done, it’s impeachment on Tuesday.”
Zimbabwe’s military said it was engaging President Robert Mugabe in talks on the way forward for the country and that it would advise the nation on the outcome as soon as possible.
Mugabe is insisting he remains Zimbabwe’s only legitimate ruler and has balked at mediation by a Catholic priest to allow the 93-year-old former guerrilla a graceful exit after a military coup, sources said on Thursday.
Armoured vehicles that were stationed at key government buildings during the political upheaval on Wednesday remained in place.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is seeking “a new era” for Zimbabwe as the US State Department’s top official for Africa implicitly called on the 93-year-old long-time president to step aside.
In an interview with Reuters, acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Donald Yamamoto appeared to dismiss the idea of Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years, remaining in a transitional or ceremonial role.