South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will succeed Jacob Zuma as president, after Zuma announced his resignation Wednesday in a nationally televised speech. Ruling party legislators officially elected Ramaphosa on Thursday.
The BBC writes that there is "a renewed sense of hope" as Ramaphosa assumes the leadership role he has had his eye on since 1994.
Zuma was at the center of several scandals during his nine-year tenure, with critics claiming that his friends and family profited handsomely from his presidency. The leadership of Zuma's party, the African National Congress, had called for his resignation on Monday.
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