Zimbabwe will officially have a new president on Friday

Emmerson Mnangagwa, who served as Zimbabwe's vice president until ousted leader Robert Mugabe fired him on Nov. 6, will chair his first meeting as head of Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party Thursday and will be sworn in as the new president Friday, the speaker of the country's parliament announced Wednesday.

Mnangagwa's firing had triggered the chain of events that led to Mugabe's forced resignation Tuesday. Mnangagwa's ascension marks the country's first transfer of power since independence in 1980.

Mnangagwa returned to Zimbabwe Wednesday, after fleeing for safety, and addressed the public from the ruling party's headquarters. He said the military's intervention was the start of a "new democracy," one that required all Zimbabweans to work together to turn the country around. "We want to grow our economy, we want jobs, jobs, jobs," he said.

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