Zimbabwe’s nonagenarian President Robert Mugabe has scolded members of his ruling party for wishing that he would hurry up and die so they can assume power.
The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front leader, 92, is one of the world’s longest-serving heads of state, having been in office, first as Prime Minister, since the country became independent from Britain in 1980.
Speaking on Thursday to about 10,000 veterans of the country’s 1970s independence war, Mugabe said constant rumors about his health led to fights over succession, Reuters reports.
“You then see a stampede now, they will be saying the President is dying. I am not dying, shame on you,” Mugabe said at a sports center in the capital Harare.
His successor would be decided democratically, he said, stating that his wife Grace would not automatically inherit the role.
[Reuters]
- Meet TIME’s Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
- After Visiting Both Ends of the Earth, I Realized How Much Trouble We’re In
- Google Is Making It Easier to Remove Personal Info From Search
- Oil Companies Posted Huge Profits. Here’s Where The Cash Will Go (Hint: Not Climate)
- Column: We Asked Hundreds of Americans About Abortion. Their Feelings Were Complicated
- A Short History of the Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of the Marcos Family
- Long-Lasting Birth Control Is Already Hard to Get. Advocates Worry It May Only Get Worse
- Who Should Be on the 2022 TIME100? Vote Now