Zimbabwe President

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader said on Thursday he has quit his party, accusing the country's ruling party of hijacking the organisation and causing the removal of dozens of his members of parliament and councilors. Nelson Chamisa, 45, was President Emmerson Mnangagwa's main rival in the 2018 and 2023 disputed elections. On Thursday, he accused Mnangagwa of decimating the opposition by authoritarian means. In a 13-page statement on his social media platforms and on the party's page on X, formerly Twitter, Chamisa criticised the economically and politically troubled southern African country's record of authoritarianism. With immediate effect, I no longer have anything to do with CCC (Citizens Coalition for Change), he said. Chamisa said he would remain active in public service and told supporters there are fresh things we need to do, urging them to rally behind fresh politics as he prepares to announce his next step. Chamisa formed the Citizens Coalition for Change party in 2022

Western governments that berated long-time ruler Robert Mugabe for violating civil rights are leveling similar criticism against his successor

Presidential spokesman George Charamba confirmed to AFP that Mugabe would not attend his successor's swearing-in

Critics describe Mnangagwa as a ruthless hard-liner, warning that he could prove just as authoritarian as his mentor