President Robert Mugabe faces an ignominious exit from politics after all 10 provinces of the ruling Zanu-PF passed votes of no confidence in the 93-year-old president. The Provinces which had previously endorsed Mugabe to be Zanu-PF candidate in the 2018 Presidential Election said that Mugabe was too old and incapacitated to lead the party and the country. Mugabe has been the leader of Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, and has insisted that he would only step down if the people no longer wanted him. Ironically, the party held a solidarity march to show support for Mugabe and his wife Grace this month after Mugabe had fired his long time deputy, former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
This follows Mugabe’s deadlock with the Zimbabwe Defence Forces who had asked him to step down. Mugabe agreed in principle to step down but is still to agree to the terms of his exit.