After ruling Zimbabwe for 37 years, Robert Mugabe has submitted his resignation as president in a letter to parliament.

The news marking the end of an era sparked celebrations in the capital, Harare.

Soldiers on November 15 took control of the headquarters of the state broadcaster ZBC and blocked access to government offices, but the army - despite putting Mugabe under house arrest - says this is not a military takeover.

The crisis came amid an apparent bid to expand the Mugabe dynasty. First Lady Grace Mugabe was said to be eyeing the vice presidency after Mugabe sacked Emmerson Mnangagwa, an ally of the army, on November 6.

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Thursday, November 23: The Latest

Incoming president, Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to chair his first politburo meeting as leader of the ruling ZANU-PF on Thursday following the dismissal of President Robert Mugabe on Sunday.

In a welcome speech delivered at the party headquarters late on Wednesday, Mnangagwa promised supporters of the liberation party a break from the past.

Wednesday, November 22: The Latest

Zimbabwe's incoming leader Emmerson Mnangagwa has made his first public appearance since returning to the country.

Crowds outside the ruling ZANU-PF party headquarters cheered as Mnangagwa addressed supporters.

Mnangagwa, who is to be sworn in on Friday as president, said "today, we witnessing the beginning of new democracy" to loud cheers from the crowd.

"We want to grow our economy, we want peace, we want jobs," he told the crowd.

The former vice president also requested support from the international community.

Mnangagwa to be sworn in as president on Friday

Former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa will be sworn in as president on Friday, according to Zimbabwe's state broadcaster.

Mnangagwa, 75, had not been in the country since November 6 when he was sacked by Robert Mugabe, his former ally.

He flew into Harare's Manyame airbase late Wednesday from South Africa and met key members of the ruling ZANU-PF there before heading to the State House. Read more about that here.

Mnangagwa 'to return home today'

Zimbabwe's former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is expected to be sworn in as president following the resignation of Robert Mugabe, will return home on Wednesday.

He is expected to land in Zimbabwe at 11:30 GMT, after he fled the country in fear of his safety after being sacked on November 6.

Tuesday, November 21: The Latest

UN chief calls for calm after Mugabe's departure

The deputy spokesman for Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, has encouraged Zimbabweans to "maintain calm and restraint" after Robert Mugabe's resignation as president.

Farhan Haq said "the secretary-general and his predecessors have made clear that we expect all leaders to listen to their people.

"That is a cornerstone of every form of government and needs to be followed in every continent and in every nation."

Top general urges restraint after Mugabe's resignation

General Constantino Chiwenga has called on all political parties in Zimbabwe to show restraint in the wake of Robert Mugabe's resignation as president.

In a surprise move, Zimbabwe's army seized power on November 15, saying it wanted to "target criminals" around the 93-year-old who were leading the ruling ZANU-PF party and state astray.

Mnangagwa 'to be sworn' in as president

Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe's former vice president whose sacking triggered the crisis, will be sworn in as president on Wednesday or Thursday.

That's according to Patrick Chinamasa, legal secretary of the ruling ZANU-PF party, who spoke to Reuters news agency.

Separately, ZANU-PF chief whip Lovemore Matuke said Mnangagwa would serve the remainder of Mugabe's term until the next general elections, which must be held by September 2018.

Celebrations break out in Harare after Mugabe's resignation

The news of Robert Mugabe's resignation as president has been greeted in the capital, Harare, with songs, dancing and car horns.

"People are coming out onto the streets, they are calling this day Independence Day," Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from Harare, said.

"It's getting chaotic," she added. "Some people still can't believe this has happened. People say they are really excited and hoping for a better future."

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has announced his resignation after nearly four decades as the country's leader.

Cheers broke out in Zimbabwe's parliament after speaker Jacob Mudenda read out Mugabe's resignation letter.

"I Robert Gabriel Mugabe in terms of section 96 of the constitution of Zimbabwe hereby formally tender my resignation ... with immediate effect," said Mudenda, reading the letter.

Botswana's leader tells Mugabe to step down in open letter

Ian Khama, the president of Botswana, has posted online an "open letter" calling on his Zimbabwean counterpart, Robert Mugabe, to resign.

In the letter, Khama asks the 93-year-old to "be sensitive to the wishes of the people of Zimbabwe and to do the honourable thing by voluntarily relinquishing power".

Khama also wrote that Zimbabweans have been "subjected to untold suffering" under Mugabe, who has ruled for 37 years.

Crowds gather as impeachment vote begins

Crowds of Zimbabweans gathered outside parliament and upped their call for President Robert Mugabe to quit as MPs began a process to impeach the 93-year-old leader.

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from outside parliament in Harare, said the message was clear. "They are saying they hope Mugabe will step down and the country moves on."

SADC extraordinary meeting

Regional dignitaries from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), of which South African President Zuma chairs, are keenly watching the unfolding situation.

The SADC bloc is holding an extraordinary session on Tuesday to discuss the Zimbabwe situation in neighbouring Botswana where the SADC is headquarters is located.

While the region’s leaders remain silent on Mugabe's fate, Botswana's President Ian Khama has openly called for the world's oldest president to step down.

Sacked VP says Mugabe should resign - reports

Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice president Mugabe sacked on November 6, has reportedly joined calls for the leader to resign.

"The people of Zimbabwe have spoken with one voice and it is my appeal to President Mugabe that he should take heed of this clarion call and resign forthwith so that the country can move forward and preserve his legacy," he is claimed to have said in a statement.

The full statement is available here on NewsDay, a Zimbabwean newspaper. Al Jazeera is working to confirm whether this statement was legitimate.

Impeachment process begins

An impeachment process brought on by Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party begins today. Read more about that here.

Monday, November 20: The Latest

Zimbabwe's army chief has said ex-vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose dismissal on November 6 prompted a military takeover, is expected to return to the country "shortly".

General Constantino Chiwenga told reporters on Monday that, following consultations, embattled President Robert Mugabe had started working towards "a definitive solution and roadmap for the country".

Chiwenga said Mugabe was in touch with Mnangagwa, who is seen as his likely successor.

"The security services are encouraged by new developments which include contact between the president and the former vice president ... who is expected in the country shortly," the military chief at the press conference.

"Thereafter the nation will be advised of the outcome of talks between the two," added Chiwenga.

Analyst: Mugabe might still have support in parliament

Tim Murithi, head of the Africa Programme at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, has told Al Jazeera that impeaching President Robert Mugabe may be challenging because the veteran leader is likely to still have a support base in parliament.

"That's quite a rare occurrence where the party sanctions its own leader," he said.

"What ZANU-PF I think will seek to do is perhaps also encourage members of the opposition to vote with them in this process so as to almost send a clear message that the parliament is speaking with one voice in terms of the request for Mugabe to step down," added Murithi.

"The challenge is there might be one or two of Mugabe's hench-men-and-women within parliament who might decide to in fact find ways to obfuscate, to extend the process and buy Mugabe time so that he can seek some kind of a solution that is not what has been prescribed by the military-led putsch."

Students march as ZANU-PF orders Mugabe impeachment move

ZANU-PF, Zimbabwe's ruling party says, it has instructed its chief whip to move ahead with impeachment proceedings against President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled the country for 37 years.

Meanwhile, hundreds of students marched through the streets of the capital, Harare, demanding the 93-year-old president step aside.

Student Fanuel Kaseke said life for young Zimbabweans under Mugabe "has been very difficult".

"Most failed to come to college because of a lack of finances, and those who have graduated still cannot manage to get employment," he told Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa.

"There's no employment in Zimbabwe and you find that there's also a cash crisis."

ZANU-PF official: Two days to impeach Mugabe

Paul Mangwana, ZANU-PF's deputy secretary for legal affairs, says it should take parliament two days to impeach President Robert Mugabe, 93.

Speaking to reporters, he said politicians with the ruling party will move a motion for impeachment on Tuesday and set up a committee.

On Wednesday, the committee will report back and "we vote him out", he added.

Mangwana said the main charge against Mugabe is "allowing his wife to usurp government powers" and that "he is too old and cannot even walk without help."

Opposition leader doubts ZANU-PF can solve country's problems

Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party, has said he doubts the ruling ZANU-PF party's 's ability to tackle Zimbabwe's challenges.

Tsvangirai said ZANU-PF has been hurt by a factional struggle and that it appears to have differences with the army over how to handle the country's political turmoil after the moves against President Robert Mugabe.

He said the upheaval could undermine the opportunity for a "fresh start" and called for international supervision of next year's planned elections.

"It would be inimical to progress and the future of the country if all this action was about power retention at all costs," said Tsvangirai.

Mugabe ignores deadline to quit as president

A deadline imposed by the ruling ZANU-PF party for Mugabe to quit as president has expired, with no response from Mugabe.

The party, which expelled Mugabe as its leader on Sunday, threatened impeachment if Mugabe did not respond.

Head of war veterans: Mugabe, go now!

Chris Mutsvangwa, the head of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, has renewed a call for Mugabe to resign.

Speaking in Harare, he said: "Mugabe, go now, go now ... your time is up!" He added: "Please leave State House and let the country start on a new page."

War veterans, who fought alongside Mugabe during the 1970s struggle for liberation from Britain and spearheaded the repossession of white-owned commercial farms in the 2000s, claim their president has betrayed the revolution.

Heartbreak in Harare and a noon deadline

There is heartbreak on the streets of Harare after Mugabe failed to resign in his address on Sunday evening. Read more about that here.

Meanwhile, the ZANU-PF party's Central Committee, after expelling Mugabe as its leader on Sunday, has given him a Monday noon ultimatum to step down as president, or face impeachment.

Sunday, November 19: The Latest

No resignation as Mugabe addresses the nation

In a move that has shocked Zimbabweans, President Robert Mugabe did not announce his resignation as he addressed the nation on state television, and instead vowed to oversee the ruling ZANU-PF's party congress next month.

Mugabe's defiance on live TV came after ZANU-PF officials removed him as leader of the party on Sunday and gave him a Monday deadline to resign as president - or face impeachment.

"The congress is due in a few weeks from now. I will preside over its processes, which must not be pre-possessed by any acts calculated to undermine it or to compromise the outcomes in the eyes of the public," said Mugabe.

Mugabe to address the nation tonight

President Mugabe to make a live TV address later tonight, according to Zimbabwean state television.

Analyst: New Zimbabwe actors part of same system that propped up Mugabe

Alex Magaisa, a Zimbabwean academic, has told Al Jazeera a potential Mugabe removal from power will not automatically guarantee a free and fair election next year.

“It was always very doubtful whether there would be free and fair elections next year, given that the electoral landscape had not been changed significantly. The removal of Mugabe would be an important part of changing that landscape, but we must understand that Mugabe was part of a system. That system hasn’t changed,” Magaisa said from London.

“The new actors who are coming in were part of the system that propped up Mugabe. The only question is, have they got the leadership to change the mindset, to change the way with which they approached elections and democracy? Are they born-again democrats or is it going to be the same?” added Magaisa.

State broadcaster preparing for announcement

Zimbabwe's ZBC state broadcaster is preparing for an announcement in the next few hours, sending a broadcast van to State House where President Robert Mugabe is under pressure to resign, a source at the broadcaster told Reuters news agency.

Mugabe 'victim of his wife and her allies'

Patrick Chinamasa, a senior ZANU-PF official and former minister, said he was expecting "cooperation" from Mugabe following the "overwhelming decision" taken by the ruling party's central committee and Saturday's "massive demonstration".

"It will make the transfer of power smooth, and it will be very good for our country if in fact we were able to achieve it without any prolonged and protracted procedure," he told Al Jazeera from Harare.

Striking a more emotional tone about the events of the past few days, Chinamasa said Mugabe has been a politician that has "shown very good leadership" over the years, but was recently taken advantage by the people close to him, including his wife.

"He became a victim to his wife and the allies of his wife, who basically abused his position and directed him to do things which were not in the interest both of the party and government."

Mugabe a 'stubborn' man

President Mugabe is a ‘stubborn’ man and there is a strong chance he could refuse to resign before tomorrow’s deadline, the UK chairman of ZANU-PF told Al Jazeera.

The ruling party fired Mugabe as party leader on Sunday and said if he doesn’t step down as president by midday Monday, they will begin impeachment proceedings when Parliament resumes on Tuesday.

“President Mugabe is a very stubborn man. There is a 50-50 chance [of him resigning by middday Monday]. You could never try to second guess him. It will be very humiliating for it to go to impeachment,” Mick Mangwana said.

“No matter what happens it will be by the book. It will be constitutional. This is not a coup; we are going by the constitution. If President Mugabe does not go he will be impeached,” Mangwana added.

Mugabe fired as ruling party leader

Robert Mugabe was fired as leader of the ruling ZANU-PF party and replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the deputy he sacked this month, sources at a special ZANU-PF meeting to decide Mugabe's fate told Reuters news agency.

"He has been expelled," one of the delegates told Reuters. "Mnangagwa is our new leader." Three other delegates confirmed Mugabe's dismissal.

Mugabe must leave office 'today': war veterans' leader

President Robert Mugabe must leave office on Sunday, the head of Zimbabwe's war veterans association said, as pressure builds on the leader to resign after a military takeover.

"The army must finish with him today. He'd better give in to them now," Chris Mutsvangwa told reporters ahead of a crunch meeting between Mugabe and the generals who took control of the country.

ZANU-PF Youth League tells Mugabe to go

The youth wing of Mugabe's ruling party has released a statement in which it calls on Mugabe and his wife to step down.

Blaming Mugabe's failed attempt to groom his wife, Grace, as his successor, the Zanu-PF Youth League said that she should be expelled from the party and that Mugabe should quit.

"We take great exception to the vulgar language which had become party to Mrs. Mugabe's vocabulary and clearly showed that she lacked grooming and true motherhood.

"It is unfortunate that the president allowed her to usurp executive authority form him, thereby destroying both the party and government...

"We therefore call for the expulsion of Mrs. Mugabe from the ZANU-PF forever and for the President Robert Mugabe to step down so that he can rest as the elderly statesman that he is," the statement said.

Saturday, November 18: The Latest

Mugabe to meet army chiefs on Sunday: state TV

Zimbabwe's embattled president will hold talks with military commanders on Sunday, state broadcaster ZTV said, quoting Catholic priest Fidelis Mukonori who has been acting as a mediator.

Mugabe will meet with the army chiefs who seized power, in a bid to end the crisis that has gripped the country, state TV said.

The announcement of the crunch talks comes after tens of thousands of overjoyed protesters flooded the streets of Zimbabwe's capital, Harare.

Army says Mugabe removal a 'journey'

The process to remove Mugabe from power is a "journey" and will take more than "one day", an army general told thousands of protesters trying to march to the State House in Harare.

Major General Sibusiso Moyo commended the protesters for taking part in the largest anti-Mugabe demonstration the southern African country has ever seen, and asked them to go home.

"The operation we are doing together as a country is a journey, we cannot go around the mountain in one day, but through your support we have covered a great distance," Moyo told the crowd in the capital.

Protesters who appeared to be in high spirit were encouraged by the general's words.

"Although we didn't make it to State House, we made it here to this point and just the amount of people, the different backgrounds and races that came out today showed that we all agreed today … We all agreed today that he must go," Anesu Dawa, who took part in the march, told Al Jazeera.

Army tells Harare protesters to disperse

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from a mass anti-Mugabe rally in Harare, says crowds are dispersing after being instructed to do so by the army.

"We will tell you when something is announced, but go home for now," the military told the protesters, according to Mutasa.

"People are leaving; they now are going to another venue, the Zimbabwe Grounds, where there is a celebration and people anticipating the announcement that Mugabe will resign," added our correspondent.

"There is no confirmation whether that will happen, and no idea when it will happen, if it does happen, but a lot people are saying that there is a definite feeling in the country that change is really coming."

Mugabe 'ready to die for what is correct'

Zimbabwe's president and his wife, Grace, are "ready to die for what is correct" and have no intention of stepping down in order to legitimise this week's military coup, his nephew, Patrick Zhuwao, has told Reuters news agency.

Speaking from a secret location in South Africa, Zhuwao said on Saturday that Mugabe had hardly slept since the military seized power on Wednesday but his health was otherwise "good".

'We are president, not monarchs,' Khama tells Mugabe

Ian Khama, the president of Botswana, has urged Mugabe to step down, saying the Zimbabwean leader has no regional diplomatic support.

"I don't think anyone should be president for that amount of time," Khama told Reuters news agency, referring to Mugabe's 37 years in power.

"We are presidents. We are not monarchs. It's just common sense," added Khama.

South African President Zuma: Region committed to supporting people of Zimbabwe

As thousands gather in Zimbabwe to protest against President Robert Mugabe, South African President Jacob Zuma - the 93-year-old leader's close ally - said the region supports "the people of Zimbabwe".

Regional dignitaries from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are expected to meet on Sunday in an extraordinary session to discuss the Zimbabwe situation in neighbouring Botswana, where the SADC headquarters is located.

Zuma chairs the SADC.

'He has to go': Protesters talk to Al Jazeera

Florence Mguni, a 59-year-old who went to train in Mozambique as a liberation fighter at the age of 15, travelled overnight from Bulawayo to Harare in hope of witnessing Mugabe's departure. "We went to fight in the war, I was taught how to hold a gun as a young girl but today Zimbabwe is free and I am poor. I'm a widow and my children aren't in school because I can't always afford to pay their fees," she said.

Tapiwa Magidi, a 32-year-old geologist, said Mugabe should resign because the 93-year-old leader was not serving young people. "We are a lost generation, most of the young people in this country were born after independence but we are now grown and we don't have much," he told Al Jazeera. "We can't get jobs, we have to live at home with our parents and we can't even afford to get married.

Tapiwa Tavaziva, a 32-year-old financial adviser who had left Zimbabwe for the US, said: "I spent 12 years out of this country because of Mugabe and the situation in this country. He's been responsible for so many things that have happened to people in their personal lives, he broken up so many homes, family structures are broken and we don't have what we used to because he [Mugabe] loves power. He has to go."

Thousands turn out to march against Mugabe

By mid-morning, thousands in Harare turned out to march against Mugabe in a rare show of public defiance.

Here is more on the marches planned for the day.

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from Harare, is posting images and video of the event. You can follow her on Twitter at @harumutasa.

"Zimbabweans of all races here, blacks and whites," Mutasa said of a rally at Robert Mugabe Square.

Zimbabweans to demand Mugabe's resignation at rally

Thousands are expected to march in Harare on Saturday, calling for Mugabe's resignation.

ZANU PF's 10 Provincial Coordinating Committees (PCC) has unanimously called on Mugabe to step down as party saying the 93-year-old leader had "lost control of the party and government business due to incapacitation stemming from his advanced age", according to state broadcaster, ZBC.

As part of its takeover, the army took over ZBC on Wednesday.

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