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Harare – A motion of no confidence against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe,92, that was tabled before the National Assembly by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in July is likely to be decided by the constitutional court, said a report on Saturday.
According to NewsDay, the National Assembly was dragging its foot in making a decision regarding the proposed impeachment.
An MDC lawmaker James Maridadi, who tabled the impeachment proposal against Mugabe, accused the authorities at the National Assembly of having "failed or deliberately delayed" in making a determination on when he could present his motion.
Maridadi further claimed that the authorities had also failed to communicate with him their response.
However, the National Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda refuted the claims, saying that the opposition lawmaker had been answered. He however, did not state what the response was.
The opposition lawmaker had since instructed his lawyer to indicate to parliament his intention of challenging the matter at the country’s constitutional court.
Mounting criticism
"I have instructed my lawyers to write to Parliament giving notice of our intention to approach the Con-Court with an application seeking an order to force the legislature to allow for Mugabe's impeachment. I have a right that is enshrined in the Constitution and if they do not want that right to be exercised, they should not have it in there in the first place," Maridadi was quoted as saying.
Maridadi tabled the motion of no confidence against Mugabe three months ago.
The plot to push the veteran leader out of office was reportedly tabled by Maridadi in June.
However, the original papers for the impeachment "mysteriously disappeared in Parliament" and as a result the motion had to be relaunched on July 27.
Maridadi reportedly accused the Speaker of trying to block the impeachment request.
Maridadi's impeachment call was another huge blow for Mugabe who faced mounting criticism from outside and within his own Zanu-PF party.
The veterans of the country's 1970s liberation war, normally staunch allies of Mugabe, vowed they would not support him if he sought re-election in 2018.
Just more than a week ago, some of the country's churches also wrote to parliament asking for Mugabe to be impeached.
The churches accused the veteran leader of being incapable of leading the southern African country.
In a strong worded letter written to parliament the defiant church leaders claimed that the national assembly and the Senate had sufficient reasons to get rid of the nonagenarian as he had failed to uphold the constitution.
The church leaders cited section 97 of the southern African country's statutes, which stated that a president could be impeached if he was involved in "serious misconduct ; fails to obey, uphold or defend the constitution, willful violation of this constitution, or inability to perform the functions of the office because of physical or mental incapacity".
