HARARE, Zimbabwe — Robert Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, resigned as president on Tuesday shortly after lawmakers began impeachment proceedings against him, according to the speaker of Parliament.
The speaker of Parliament read out a letter in which Mr. Mugabe said he was stepping down “with immediate effect” for “the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe and the need for a peaceful transfer of power.”
Parliament erupted into cheers and jubilant residents poured into the streets of Harare, the capital. It seemed to be an abrupt capitulation by Mr. Mugabe, who had refused to step down only two days earlier, when his former political party, ZANU-PF, formally expelled him.
Then on Tuesday, members of the governing party introduced a motion of impeachment, invoking a constitutional process that had never before been tested.
The party’s historic political rival, the Movement for Democratic Change, seconded the motion, a striking sign of the consensus in the political class that Mr. Mugabe must go — a consensus that formed with astonishing speed after the military took Mr. Mugabe into custody last Wednesday, signaling an end to his 37-year rule.
The next step was for Parliament to form a committee to investigate the motion’s allegations that Mr. Mugabe violated the Constitution; that he allowed his wife, Grace, to usurp power; and that, at 93, he is too old to fulfill his duties. Debate on the motion had begun when the speaker suddenly interrupted the proceedings to read what he said was a letter of resignation delivered by Mr. Mugabe’s representatives.
ZANU-PF had expelled Mr. Mugabe as its leader on Sunday, but Mr. Mugabe stunned the nation that evening with a televised address in which he refusedto step down. Pressure from within the country and from abroad had been building on Mr. Mugabe to resign, but observers had warned that the country might have to brace itself for lengthy impeachment proceedings.
According to Zimbabwe’s Constitution, a president can be removed for serious misconduct, violating the Constitution or “inability to perform the functions of the office because of physical or mental incapacity.” Committees must investigate and present evidence. Finally, Parliament can remove the president with a two-thirds vote in each of the two legislative chambers.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, the military-backed politician whose firing led to a military takeover of Zimbabwe and efforts to oust Mr. Mugabe, broke his silence on Tuesday, urging the embattled leader to step down.
Mr. Mnangagwa, the former vice president who has not been seen in public since leaving Zimbabwe for South Africa on Nov. 6, said he had refused the president’s invitation to return for talks to Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital. Despite having the backing of the powerful war veterans association and the military, Mr. Mnangagwa, 75, said he feared for his personal security in Zimbabwe.
“I told the president that the current political and constitutional crisis in the country is not a matter between him and myself but between the people of Zimbabwe and President Mugabe,” Mr. Mnangagwa said in a statement.
“He should take heed of this clarion call by the people of Zimbabwe to resign so that the country can move forward and preserve his legacy,” he added.
Mr. Mnangagwa’s words, as well as his continued absence, appeared to be part of an effort by his allies to distance him from last week’s military intervention and to portray it as a reflection of the popular will. The army stepped in two days after the president attempted to arrest the country’s top military commander, Gen. Constantino Chiwenga, a close ally of Mr. Mnangagwa.
At least a semblance of legitimacy — especially for a government under Mr. Mnangagwa, who is known as the Crocodile and as the enforcer of some of Mr. Mugabe’s most ruthless policies — will be critical in gaining recognition from regional powers, Western governments and international lenders. Zimbabwe, which no longer has its own currency and perennially struggles to pay government workers, became a pariah in the West after the state-backed invasion of white-owned farms in the early 2000s.
Mr. Mnangagwa’s role as the likely successor to Mr. Mugabe has engendered some skepticism.
“He is now saying it is important to be part and parcel of what the people are saying when the people’s voices have been ignored so far,” said Okay Machisa, the executive director of ZimRights, a human rights group.
In keeping with efforts to minimize the backlash against last week’s intervention, the military allowed Mr. Mugabe to try to convene a cabinet meeting Tuesday morning. In a surreal scene, just five ministers turned up as 17 others attended impeachment meetings.
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