Word: mbeki
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...Thabo Mbeki called time on his presidency on Saturday, after South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) called on him to resign - opening the way for his rival and successor as party leader, Jacob Zuma, to be voted in as President despite allegations of corruption against him. ANC party leaders argued through Friday night over Mbeki's fate, announcing early on Saturday afternoon their unanimous decision to remove him from office following allegations that he had used the country's law-enforcement system to undermine Zuma's chances of succeeding him. ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said...
...With cabinet members loyal to Mbeki likely also to resign, analysts predict that parliament would most likely convene to elect a caretaker government until elections can be held next year. Some suggested that Zuma, who is not a member of parliament, would not serve in a transitional administration and would most likely assume power only after the elections. Although Mbeki has been a lame duck ever since Zuma wrested the ANC leadership from him at last December's party leadership conference, Saturday's move to accelerate Mbeki's ouster has raised fears of growing instability in Africa's largest economy...
...Mbeki's ouster is certainly a victory for the more hardline element among Zuma's supporters, who had been calling for the President's head ever since a judge last Friday threw out corruption charges against Zuma on procedural grounds. Most damaging to Mbeki were Judge Chris Nicholson's remarks that he found Zuma's complaints of political interference in his case to be plausible. Nicholson made it clear that his judgment in no way exonerates Zuma, but he also accused Mbeki and members of his cabinet of having improperly intervened to ensure that Zuma was prosecuted. "It's quite...
...Julius Malema, the vociferous new president of the ANC Youth League, railed against Mbeki, calling him a "dictator," and predicting that he would be removed over the weekend. But for all the venom of his supporters, Zuma himself was not among those calling for Mbeki's head. Instead, he had called for Mbeki to serve out the remainder of his term, in order to ensure a smooth political transition. Zuma told his party that it would be a waste of energy to "beat a dead snake," and instead appealed to them to focus on healing internal divisions. Malema's response...
...Mbeki, who had hoped to make a dignified exit from office and retain some of his legacy as a peace broker on the continent - where he has mediated conflicts in the Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo and, most recently, Zimbabwe - has instead faced a string of humiliating defeats, and leaves office much diminished. The ANC, too, is likely to be weakened by its decision, which also seemed to suggest that Zuma is not necessarily in control of the coalition of forces within the party that brought him to power...