Impeachment of Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe set to begin

Zimbabwe’s ruling party is set to begin impeachment proceedings against long-time President Robert Mugabe, while a party official says government ministers have been instructed to boycott a Cabinet meeting called by the president.

Ruling party chief whip Lovemore Matuke tells The Associated Press minutes before the Cabinet meeting is expected to start that ministers have been told to instead attend a meeting at party headquarters to work on the impeachment. Parliament resumes Tuesday.

Mugabe’s chief secretary on Monday summoned ministers to the Cabinet meeting at State House, the president’s official residence.

Mugabe is finding himself increasingly isolated.

The military on Monday night said the vice president he recently fired, sparking the political turmoil, will return to Zimbabwe “shortly” and has made contact with Mugabe.

Mugabe’s grip on power was broken last week when the military took over, angered at his wife Grace’s emergence as the leading candidate to succeed the 93-year-old president.