Harare, Zimbabwe
CNN
—
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has agreed to direct talks with the former Vice President he recently fired, the country’s military chief said Monday.
Emmerson Mnangagwa has been out of the country since Mugabe ousted him earlier this month. His ouster triggered a political crisis amid repeated calls for Mugabe to step down.
Zimbabwe’s military has agreed with Mugabe on a “roadmap on the prevailing situation in the country,” Gen. Constantino Chiwenga told reporters. Mnangagwa will soon be returning to Zimbabwe to meet with the veteran leader.
“The nation will be advised on the outcome of talks between the two,” he said.
Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party, which he co-founded and led for nearly four decades, ousted the 93-year-old as party leader on Sunday and gave him an ultimatum – relinquish the presidency by midday on Monday or face an impeachment vote in Parliament. The party has said it will introduce that plan to Parliament on Tuesday.
Mugabe has refused to answer repeated calls to step down even after effectively being stripped of his powers.
A source told CNN that Mugabe had agreed to terms for his resignation in talks with military leaders who have seized control in the country, and that a letter had been drafted. But the midday deadline for his resignation passed Monday with no word from the defiant leader.
Mugabe loses allies: The embattled President has lost his most powerful associates, his party and control of the military, and tens of thousands of people have protested to call for his ouster.
Mugabe’s odd speech: The nation was stunned Sunday when instead of hearing Mugabe deliver his resignation speech, it looked on as he gave a rambling televised address that raised more questions than answers.
Deal or no deal?: A source told CNN earlier Monday that the military had given into demands from the President for full immunity for himself and his wife, but there is still no confirmation that Mugabe has accepted a deal.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images
Members of Zimbabwe's Parliament celebrate after the resignation of longtime President Robert Mugabe was announced on Tuesday, November 21. Mugabe, 93, had led the country for nearly four decades.
His resignation comes six days after military leaders seized control of the nation and placed him under house arrest.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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MUJAHID SAFODIEN/AFP/Getty Images
Protesters call for Mugabe's impeachment near the Parliament building in Harare on November 21.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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Ben Curtis/AP
Demonstrators protest outside the Parliament building on November 21.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images
Jacob Mudenda, the speaker of Zimbabwe's Parliament, presides over a session where a motion was moved to impeach Mugabe.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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TONY KARUMBA/AFP/Getty Images
A man accused of supporting Mugabe is attacked outside Parliament on November 21.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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Ben Curtis/AP
People gather to pray for the country in a park near Parliament on November 21.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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AARON UFUMELI/POOL/EPA-EFE
Lawmakers meet inside Parliament on November 21.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images
Gen. Constantino Chiwenga speaks during a news conference in Harare on Monday, November 20. Military leaders had been in talks with Mugabe over his exit, and Chiwenga said that progress had been made.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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AFP/Getty Images
Students from the University of Zimbabwe participate in a demonstration in Harare on November 20.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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Ben Curtis/AP
Newspapers are held in place with rocks at a newsstand in Harare on November 20.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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Ben Curtis/AP
At a bar in Harare, people watch Mugabe give a televised address to the nation on Sunday, November 19. Mugabe ended
the address without giving his resignation.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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STR/AP
Mugabe meets with generals in Harare on November 19.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images
Members of the ruling party ZANU-PF react after the decision to oust Mugabe as party leader on November 19.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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ZINYANGE AUNTONY/AFP/Getty Images
A portrait of Mugabe hangs in the hall of the ZANU-PF headquarters, where delegates met for a special committee on November 19. Mugabe co-founded the party and had been its leader for decades.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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Ben Curtis/AP
A woman and her daughter look out from their balcony as a crowd of protesters gather on the road leading to the State House in Harare on Saturday, November 18.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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ZINYANGE AUNTONY/AFP/Getty Images
People hold a portrait of Zimbabwe's former vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, during a demonstration demanding Mugabe's resignation on November 18. ZANU-PF announced Mnangagwa as its new party leader. He was fired by Mugabe on November 6.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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STR/AFP/Getty Images
A soldier greets a citizen during a demonstration on November 18.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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KIM LUDBROOK/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
People in Harare react as they see a military helicopter fly overhead during protests against Mugabe on November 18.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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Ben Curtis/AP
Mugabe, center, arrives to preside over a student graduation ceremony at Zimbabwe Open University on Friday, November 17. It was his first public appearance since the military takeover.
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The Herald
Mugabe, right, is seen in talks about his future in this image
tweeted by Caesar Zvayi, the editor of The Herald newspaper, on Thursday, November 16.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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STR/AFP/Getty Images
An armored vehicle is on patrol in Harare on November 16.
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STR/AFP/Getty Images
Business continues as usual in Harare as roadside vendors sell vegetables on November 16.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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AARON UFUMELI/EPA-EFE
Members of the military check a gun as they stand atop an armored vehicle parked in Harare's central district on November 16.
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STR/AFP/Getty Images
An overview of Harare on November 16.
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STR/AFP/Getty Images
A banner of Mugabe remains outside the ZANU-PF headquarters in Harare on November 16.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Soldiers seal off a main road to the parliament building in Harare on November 15.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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AP
Soldiers patrol a street in Harare on November 15.
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Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP
Soldiers inspect a vehicle on a road leading to Mugabe's office in Harare on November 15.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images
Residents in Zimbabwe's capital line up to withdraw money from a bank on November 15.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images
Two pedestrians pass behind an armored personnel carrier stationed at an intersection in Harare on November 15.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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AFP/Getty Images
A man in Harare reads a special edition of The Herald newspaper on November 15.
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AP Photo
An armored military vehicle is seen outside the building of the state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corp. on November 15.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images
Soldiers monitor traffic in Harare on November 15 as the military set up checkpoints at key locations in the city.
Photos: Political upheaval grips Zimbabwe
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DEWA MAVHINGA/AFP/Getty Images
In a screen grab of a TV broadcast on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corp., Maj. Gen. Sibusiso Moyo reads a statement saying the military was conducting an operation to target "criminals" close to the President who were causing "social and economic suffering." He denied a coup was underway.
If an impeachment vote goes to Parliament, it would almost certainly pass, as the ZANU-PF dominates the National Assembly. The main opposition Movement For Democratic Change plans to meet on Tuesday to decide on whether to support the motion, Reuters reported, citing a party official.
Mugabe is running out of cards to play and has few political allies left.
Tens of thousands of people have also protested in the streets for his ouster, a rare sight in a country where such gatherings and political expression have been banned. The voices supporting him have been far more muted, and world leaders are tacitly supporting the military’s actions.
Now cornered, he is likely looking to broker the the best deal for his exit.
According to the source who spoke to CNN, the military has given into Mugabe’s demands for full immunity for himself and his wife, and for him to keep several of his properties.
If Mugabe does decide to resign, he must send a letter to the speaker of Parliament, who should then publicly announce the resignation within 24 hours, according to the constitution.
If his rule ends, the speaker will have to serve as an interim leader. Usually it is the vice president’s role to step in, but the country has not had one since Mnangagwa was fired earlier this month.
19:25 - Source: CNN
Zimbabwean President Mugabe addresses nation
Speculation over Mugabe’s next move has been rife since the President’s speech on Sunday, the most bizarre public moment since the military staged its apparent coup.
Not only did he defy expectations to stand down, he fumbled over the pages of his speech, which covered broad topics such as business and tech initiatives, and appeared to skip over entire sections.
According to the source who spoke to CNN, the aim of Sunday’s televised address was to ensure the veteran leader openly declared the military’s actions to be constitutional.
Mugabe did so, but he was visibly displeased at the entire choreographed affair.
The military’s operation “did not amount to a threat to our well-cherished constitutional order, nor was it a challenge to my authority as head of state and government, not even as commander-in-chief of the Zimbabwean defense forces,” he said.
Despite having lost his power base and control of the military, Mugabe insisted he was going nowhere and even claimed he would see the ZANU-PF through its congress in a few weeks. The party is expected to ratify Mnangagwa as party leader at that event.
Zimbabweans who had been glued to state television to watch the speech live came out into the streets afterward, many in shock.
Harare resident Tina Madzimure called the speech “an embarrassment.”
“He made a fool out of the generals,” she said. “This man will go to his grave with Zimbabwe in his hands.”
CNN’s Nicole Chavez, Faith Karimi and Marilia Brocchetto contributed to this report.