Zimbabwe's Mugabe Refuses to Resign Presidency After Military Takeover

In Zimbabwe, longtime leader Robert Mugabe has stunned party leaders and opposition groups by refusing to resign as president. The announcement by the 93-year-old Mugabe came days after Zimbabwe’s military seized government buildings across the capital, Harare, placing Mugabe under house arrest. The apparent coup came a week after President Mugabe ousted his Vice President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who’s since been named by the military as interim president. Members of Zimbabwe’s ruling party are preparing to meet to discuss Mugabe’s impeachment, after the deadline for him to resign came and went this morning. On Sunday evening, Mugabe gave a televised address acknowledging the country’s problems, but did not mention stepping down. Zimbabwe’s ruling party, ZANU-PF, has expelled Mugabe and First Lady Grace Mugabe from the party. Impeachment proceedings against Mugabe may now begin as soon as Tuesday.

For more we’re joined by Glen Mpani, Mason fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is a democracy and governance practitioner who has worked for the last 15 years in Africa. His recent op-ed in the New York Times is titled, “For Zimbabwe, a Coup Isn’t the Answer.”