Mugabe speaks to the nation, refuses to resign

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe made a broadcast to his people on Sunday night, but he did the unexpected: he did not  resign as widely expected. Instead he said  he would preside over a ZANU-PF congress next month even though the ruling party had removed him as its leader hours earlier. The broadcast was witnessed by the military leaders who had taken control of Zimbabwean affairs, but who kept denying that they had executed a coup.
ZANU-PF had given the 93-year-old less than 24 hours to quit as head of state or face impeachment, an attempt to secure a peaceful end to his tenure after a de facto coup. Mugabe said in a address on state television that he acknowledged criticism against him from ZANU-PF, the military and the public, but did not comment on the possibility of standing down.
“The (ruling ZANU-PF) party congress is due in a few weeks and I will preside over its processes,” Mugabe said.