On Saturday, Africa’s only serving female head of state Ameenah Gurib-Fakim Mauritius finally decided to resign after mounting pressure for her to do so.
She is accused of financial misappropriation by spending several hundred thousand rupees on personal purchases, using a Platinum credit card offered by a non-governmental organisation, Planet Earth Institute (PEI).
The country’s prime minister, Pravind Jugnauth had said that Gurib-Fakim was to resign after the country marked its 50th independence anniversary celebrations on 12 March.
Gurib-Fakim however refused to go after the celebrations insisting that the purchases she was accused of were accidental and have been paid back.
Her lawyer Yousuf Mohamed on Saturday however told local Radio Plus that she had decided to resign “to prevent a constitutional crisis”.
“She doesn’t want the country … to suffer. In the country’s best interests she has decided to leave,” the lawyer said.
The President’s resignation would mean she would avoid impeachment processes initiated by her own cabinet to be debated by the country’s parliament when it resumes sitting on 27 March.
Gurib-Fakim’s exit now means Africa is without a female president for now.
Source: Africafeeds.com
