Robert Mugabe resigned as Zimbabwe’s president on Tuesday, finally swept from power as his 37-year reign of autocratic control and brutality crumbled within days of a military takeover.
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The move looks set to end Zimbabwe’s worst political crisis since it won independence from Britain in 1980.
The bombshell announcement sparked cheers at a special joint session of parliament convened to impeach Mugabe, 93, who has dominated every aspect of Zimbabwean public life for decades.
On the streets, the news sparked wild celebrations, with car horns being honked and people erupting into ecstatic cheers and frenzied dancing.
Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe, who has resigned as leader of the African country. Photo: Xinhua
The letter that ended Mugabe’s tumultuous tenure was read out not by the man himself but by parliamentary speaker Jacob Mudenda.