Zimbabwe’s embattled leader, Robert Mugabe, has vowed to stay in power for several weeks, despite intense pressure on him to stand down.
“The (ruling ZANU-PF) party congress is due in a few weeks and I will preside over its processes,” Mr. Mugabe said in in a live TV address monitored by BBC.
Earlier on Sunday, the ruling party in Zimbabwe, Zanu-PF, sacked Mr. Mugabe who has been in power since 1980.
After a meeting of party leaders on Sunday, officials said ex-Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was fired by Mr. Mugabe two weeks ago, has been appointed leader of the party.
Mr Mugabe’s 52-year-old wife, Grace, was expelled from the party, alongside a number of other senior officials.
It is not entirely clear how Mr. Mugabe can preside over Zanu-PF’s congress next month, following his dismissal as party leader.
Officials of the Southern African Development Commission, led by South African officials, are currently leading mediation talks between Mr. Mugabe and the military which ousted him from office.
