AFRICA/ZIMBABWE - Mnangagwa becomes Interim President; presidential elections scheduled for September 2018

Harare (Agenzia Fides) - On November 24th Emmerson Mnangagwa has become the new Interim President of Zimbabwe. Former Vice President succeeded Robert Mugabe, who resigned on November 21 after a long negotiation with his party's leadership, ZANU-PF, and the army, which had taken control of the capital Harare and the rest of the Country.
Heads of State and Government and Ministers of the Southern African States such as South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana and Malawi, attended the inauguration ceremony.
Mnangagwa, who is 75 and is known as "The Crocodile", will remain in office until new elections, scheduled for September 2018.
Zimbabwe turns page after the long reign of Mugabe who ruled the Country since 1980, the year of its independence. The Country will have to rebuild its economy after decades of economic reforms by the former president, which severely devastated the agricultural sector. Mnangagwa will then have to lead Zimbabwe to the presidential election, relying on the ZANU-PF party and the army, whose intervention was decisive. The military, in spite of the Country's general economic conditions, benefited from a certain amount of funds as demonstrated by the display of well-armed military vehicles used to take control of the capital. It is therefore likely that they will remain the key players in the delicate transition process that should end with the September 2018 elections.
According to the Bureau of Social Communications of the Bishops' Conference of Zimbabwe, the local Bishops made a statement that will be published on Sunday, November 26, in which they thank the people of Zimbabwe for the peaceful transition without bloodshed. The document sent to Agenzia Fides is currently under embargo until Sunday. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 24/11/2017)

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