津巴布韦总统穆加比已同意辞职下台

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe Resigns

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has resigned after 37 years in office.

Parliamentary speaker Jacob Mudenda read Mugabe’s resignation letter to Zimbabwe’s Parliament Tuesday.

Mugabe wrote, “My decision to resign is voluntary on my part and arises from my concern for the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe and my desire for a smooth, non-violent transfer of power.”

The letter said the resignation was effective immediately.

Celebrations broke out in parliament. Lawmakers had gathered to begin legal action to remove the 93-year-old Mugabe from office.

People also danced in the streets of Harare and blew car horns in reaction to the announcement.

The Zimbabwean military placed Mugabe under house arrest on November 15. The military took action a little more than a week after Mugabe dismissed Vice¹ President Emmerson Mnangagwa. That dismissal appeared to put Mugabe’s wife, Grace, in a position to become the next leader.

Pressure to resign increased after statement

Mugable’s ruling ZANU-PF party had been pressuring him to resign since his house arrest. Hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans publicly demonstrated in protest of the ousted² president.

On Sunday, Mugabe spoke³ to the nation. He said he would remain in office and lead the ZANU-PF meeting in December. His statement led lawmakers to take action to remove him from office.

Opposition⁴ leader Morgan Tsvangirai of the MDC party spoke Tuesday before the resignation announcement. He said the culture of the ruling party “must end” and everyone must work together toward free and fair elections.

Mugabe has led Zimbabwe since it became a fully⁵ independent and recognized country in 1980. But the country’s economy had weakened severely⁶, leading to calls that Mugabe step down.

I’m Caty Weaver⁷.

Words in This Story

welfare – n. the state of being happy, healthy, or successful?

transfer – v. to move (someone or something) from one place to another?

horn –? n. a device that makes a loud noise

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。