Zimbabwe's Mugabe, facing impeachment, calls Cabinet meeting

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe's ruling party on Monday ordered impeachment proceedings to begin against longtime President Robert Mugabe and expressed confidence that he could be voted out within two days, while the world's oldest head of state ignored the party's midday deadline to resign and instead summoned ministers to a Cabinet meeting Tuesday morning.

The ruling ZANU-PF party's deputy secretary for legal affairs Paul Mangwana said lawmakers would move a motion for impeachment on Tuesday and set up a parliamentary committee, and on Wednesday the committee would report back to all lawmakers and "we vote him out."

The main charge against the 93-year-old Mugabe is "allowing his wife to usurp government powers" and that "he is too old and cannot even walk without help," Mangwana told reporters.

He said the ruling party needs the backing of the MDC opposition group to have enough votes in Parliament but "we have talked to them and they are supporting us."