#Tsvangirai calls on Mugabe to resign

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Thursday President Robert Mugabe should resign in the interest of the country after the military seized power.

Mugabe is insisting he remains Zimbabwe’s only legitimate ruler and has balked at mediation by a Catholic priest to allow the 93-year-old former guerrilla a graceful exit after a military coup, sources said on Thursday.

“In the interest of the people, Mr. Robert Mugabe must resign and step down immediately,” Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, told a news conference, reading from a statement.

Former Zimbabwe finance minister Tendai Biti said on Thursday he would be happy to work in any national unity government that emerges from this week’s coup, but only if opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was also on board.

“If Morgan says he’s in, I‘m in,” Biti, who earned international respect during his time as finance minister in a 2009-2013 unity government, told Reuters. “The country needs a solid pair of hands so one might not have a choice.” Reuters