- A motion filed in Zimbabwe’s parliament called for Robert Mugabe’s exit.
- Mugabe, 93, has already ignored a deadline to resign.
- It is unclear how quickly the process could take effect.
MPs in Zimbabwe have started impeachment proceedings against President Robert Mugabe.
A motion filed in the Zimbabwean parliament Tuesday afternoon called for the 93-year-old ruler to be removed from power.
Parliament speaker, Jacob Mudenda, said Tuesday that he received a motion to impeach Mugabe, according to the Reuters news agency.
He then ordered both houses of parliament to adjourn to a hotel in Harare to start proceedings.
The motion was submitted by members of the ruling ZANU-PF party, which Mugabe helped found in the 1960s. It expelled him as leader last week after he refused to step aside during a military coup.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party also backed the motion, lending it widespread political support.
Thousands of people gathered in Harare to protest against Mugabe.
ZANU-PF officials had set Mugabe a deadline of midday Monday to resign willingly, but he allowed it to pass.
Mugabe, who has been in power since Zimbabwe became an independent nation in 1980, was expected to resign in a televised address over the weekend, but did not.
He attempted to continue to govern as normal on Tuesday, and summoned cabinet ministers to a meeting. But only five attended, while 17 went to the impeachment proceedings instead.
According to the Associated Press, it is not clear how long impeachment would take. ZANU-PF sources reportedly suggested that Mugabe could be forced from office as soon as Wednesday.