Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe resigns after 37 years in power

Zimbabwe is celebrating after President Robert Mugabe has resigned after 37 years as head of state on Tuesday.A letter from Mr Mugabe said that the decision was voluntary and that he had made it to allow a smooth transition of power. The surprise announcement halted an impeachment hearing that had begun against him. Lawmakers roared in jubilation and people have begun celebrating in the streets. Mr Mugabe, 93, was until now the world's oldest leader. He had previously refused to resign despite last week's military takeover and days of protests.After Robert Mugabe's resignation as president of Zimbabwe, his former deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose sacking led to the autocrat's downfall, seems likely to be the next head of state.  On Sunday, Mnangagwa was named president of the ruling ZANU-PF party in place of Mugabe.That put him one step away from the top job as Mugabe was told to quit or be forced from office.
Nicknamed "Ngwena" (The Crocodile) because of his fearsome power and ruthlessness, the 75-year-old Mnangagwa had appeared to have been outfoxed by Mugabe's wife, Grace. The first lady, who is 41 years younger than her husband, lobbied the veteran head of state to ditch his vice president, a long-serving lieutenant, to further her own political ambitions. But Mnangagwa has close ties with the military, which was alarmed at Grace's rise, and the generals intervened.
But the dramatic seizure of power by the military returned him to centre-stage. In the early days after independence from Britain in 1980, Mugabe made Mnangagwa, who was then a young trainee lawyer, minister for national security.