He will be sworn in as the President of Zimbabwe today
Zimbabwe's incoming President Emmerson Mnangagwa was preparing on Thursday to take power after the shock resignation of Robert Mugabe brought 37 years of authoritarian rule to an end. Mnangagwa, who has close ties to the army and the security establishment, returned to the country on Wednesday to take the reins and told adoring crowds in Harare that they were witnessing "unfolding full democracy".
Emmerson Mnangagwa speaks to supporters flanked by his wife Auxilia at Zanu-PF party headquarters in Harare. Pic/AFP
He will be sworn in as President at an inauguration ceremony on Friday, officials said. The speech was his first since Mugabe fired him as vice-president on November 6 over a succession tussle with the former first lady, a move that prompted the military's intervention to force Mugabe from power. "Today we are witnessing the beginning of a new and unfolding full democracy in our country," he said in front of supporters.