HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Emmerson Mnangagwa, the military-backed politician whose allies ended Robert Mugabe's 37-year rule over Zimbabwe, will be sworn in as the new president at the end of the week, the speaker of the country's Parliament announced Wednesday.
Mnangagwa made a triumphant return to the country earlier in the day, telling cheering supporters that the country is witnessing "a new and unfolding democracy."
"I appeal to all genuine people of Zimbabwe to come together," Mnangagwa said. "We are all Zimbabweans ... we need peace in our country and jobs, jobs, jobs."
That message was received enthusiastically by the crowd at the headquarters of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party, which nominated Mnangagwa, 75, to complete Mugabe's term as president until the next election, which must be held by August.
Mnangagwa, who fled Zimbabwe after Mugabe fired him earlier this month, said he had been in constant contact with military leaders during the tumultuous two weeks between his firing and his return to lead Zimbabwe.
Mnangagwa praised the military and commander Gen. Constantino Chiwenga, "who have been able to manage this process very peacefully."
Speaking with his wife, Auxilia, by his side, Mnangagwa was flanked by two rows of security agents. After emerging from hiding in neighboring South Africa, Mnangagwa met with its President Jacob Zuma and flew to Zimbabwe in a private jet.
Mnangagwa's firing led the military to move in and initiate a series of extraordinary events ending in Mugabe, 93, stepping down as impeachment proceedings started.
The jubilant crowd in the capital, Harare, celebrated Mnangagwa's first public remarks. Some carried signs with his image. Signs read "Our Hero, Our Hope" and "Welcome back, Our Hero."
One man hoping to see Mnangagwa, Godwin Nyarugwa, said he was "very ecstatic" and that "we need change in this country, change in everything" after years of economic crisis. Nyarugwa said he had several university degrees but no job, a common theme among Zimbabwe's well-educated population.
"We have to try him and see," he said of Mnangagwa. "If he doesn't come up with something, we need to change him as well."
'BOB' BID ADIEU
Many Zimbabweans on Wednesday were still ecstatic over Mugabe's resignation.
They cheered and danced in the streets of Harare into Tuesday night, thrilled to be rid of a leader whose early promise after the end of white minority rule in 1980 was overtaken by economic collapse, government dysfunction and human-rights violations.
Now the focus turns to Mnangagwa, Mugabe's longtime deputy who was pushed aside as unpopular first lady Grace Mugabe positioned herself to succeed her husband.
That led the military to step in a week ago, opening the door for the ruling party and the people to publicly turn against the president.
It was not clear what Mugabe and his wife would do next. Mugabe, who was the world's oldest head of state, said in his resignation letter that legal procedures should be followed to install a new president "no later than tomorrow."
Zimbabweans woke up Wednesday to the first day in 37 years without Mugabe in power. With some nursing hangovers, they looked over newspaper headlines such as "Adios Bob" and "Ta-ta President."
"I think this change of government is like a new breath of fresh air right across the country," said Patrick Musira on the streets of the capital. "Everyone was engulfed with excitement and they are looking for a better future, a brighter future, with work."
Zimbabwe's new leader must deal with a once-prosperous nation whose economy has collapsed, sending frustrated young people into desperate work as street vendors. Many have left the country altogether.
Mnangagwa is a former justice and defense minister who served for decades as Mugabe's enforcer, a role that earned him the nickname "Crocodile."
Many opposition supporters believe he was instrumental in the army killings of thousands of people when Mugabe moved against a political rival in the 1980s.
Thus far in the current political turmoil, Mnangagwa has used inclusive language, saying that all Zimbabweans should work together to advance their nation.
In a commentary, the state-run Zimbabwe Herald newspaper stressed the importance of presidential term limits, saying Mnangagwa "has the best wishes of most Zimbabweans, at least today."
Human-rights activists warned that it will take more than replacing Mugabe to change Zimbabwe's fortunes.
"Mugabe the infrastructure, Mugabe the culture, Mugabe the ideology, Mugabe the system -- what I prefer to call Mugabism -- is still there. And we need to continue fighting," Maureen Kademauga told reporters in Johannesburg.
The activists called for free and fair elections to determine Zimbabwe's future.
"The military works on orders," Dewa Mavhinga of Human Rights Watch said. "I believe they were given a command to be nice, to smile, for a while but we should not make the mistake of believing that overnight this was a revolution and everything is over."
'VENEER OF LEGALITY'
In an effort to win legitimacy for the new government, Mnangagwa's allies have taken great pains to paint his elevation as following the rule of law.
Under their direction, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front expelled Mugabe and named Mnangagwa as its new leader. Then it moved to impeach Mugabe.
The constitution allows the governing party to nominate an individual to the presidency if the office is vacant.
The trouble, legal experts and human-rights group say, is that Mnangawa's allies have influenced real-world events. In addition to placing Mugabe under house arrest, the military, which does not have the authority to arrest individuals, has detained Mnangagwa's political rivals, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
"That's what ZANU-PF has always done," said Rashid Mahiya, executive director of HealZimbabwe Trust, a human-rights group. "It's not your usual dictatorship. There's a veneer of legality and constitutionality in all they do, but the politics take place behind the scenes."
Some have also raised questions about the constitutionality of Mnangagwa's nomination. Before he was fired, he was one of Mugabe's two vice presidents. The other, Phelekezela Mphoko, belonged to the rival faction, led by Grace Mugabe.
According to the constitution, in the event of a vacancy, one of the vice presidents automatically becomes president while the governing party has 90 days to nominate an interim president. Mphoko, as the only vice president, appeared to be in line to become president upon Mugabe's resignation.
On Sunday, Mnangagwa's allies in the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party expelled Mphoko from the party. Even so, he could have been dismissed as vice president only by the president himself, said Greg Linington, an expert on constitutional law at the University of Zimbabwe.
But Mphoko, who was visiting Japan when the military took over, has not returned to Zimbabwe, fearing for his safety.
"No one even knows where exactly he is," Linington said. "So the practicalities of the situation are that he's not available to perform the functions of the office."
Information for this article was contributed by Farai Mutsaka, Christopher Torchia, Andrew Meldrum and Renee Graham of The Associated Press and by Norimitsu Onishi of The New York Times.
A Section on 11/23/2017