Robert Mugabe resigns as President of Zimbabwe

Robert Mugabe (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Robert Mugabe has officially tendered his resignation as the president of Zimbabwe.

According to Sky News, Mugabe wrote a letter to the Zimbabwean parliament saying he was resigning “with immediate effect.”

“I, Robert Gabriel Mugabe, hereby formally tender my resignation as President,” his letter read.

The parliament had resumed on Tuesday after a hiatus, planning to kick off Mugabe’s impeachment proceedings.

Instead, the session had begun with a reading of Mugabe’s resignation letter.

Crowds around the country took to the streets to celebrate the resignation, dancing and singing.

Mugabe, following a military takeover, had been expected to resign in a speech on Sunday.

Instead, the 93-year-old had said he would be leading the party Zanu-PF into their congress in December, despite being removed as its leader.

His ousted vice-president Emerson Mnangagwa is expected to take over as president.

Watch the moment his resignation was read below:

"I, Robert Gabriel Mugabe hereby formally tender my resignation as President": The #Zimbabwe leader steps down https://t.co/XQGzVNtJRq pic.twitter.com/bUbbraqwI6

— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 21, 2017

Photo Credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images