Image source, AFP

As mediation efforts continue in Zimbabwe's State House over President Robert Mugabe's future - the BBC has identified six potential outcomes:

1. Mr Mugabe resigns - clearing the way for sacked Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa to step in
2. Mr Mugabe stays on - nominally in power until the ruling Zanu-PF party's congress in December
3. Mr Mugabe forced into exile - if no deal can be reached
4. Government of national unity and elections - a move favoured by the opposition and some in the international community
5. A new Mugabe? Should Emmerson Mnangagwa become president, life may not be that different for Zimbabweans
6. Mr Mugabe stages counter-coup - the Presidential Guard is the part of the military most loyal to the president, though its compound has been surrounded.

Read more about the details of these outcomes here: What next for Zimbabwe?

BBC Trending

Image source, Twitter

On social media there are several accounts claiming to be the mouthpiece of Zimbabwe's governing Zanu-PF party, but it is unclear which, if any, are official, and what links they have with those currently in charge.

The Twitter history of the unverified Twitter account @zanu_pf, external is full of rants and proclamations about pornography, eggs Benedict and imperialism.

The confusion about who's running the account isn't limited to outside observers. At times Zanu-PF officials have publicly wondered who is running the account.

It is not known what contact was made between the account @zanu_pf and the Zanu-PF party.

The @ZANUPF_Official, external account is another which has seen a popularity boost after recent events in the country.

It had slightly more than a thousand followers in 2013, a few thousand on Wednesday morning, and more than 10,000 by Thursday morning.

Again, it's unclear what connection the account has, if any, with the party leadership.

The lack of clarity over who is running these political accounts extends to another Twitter account, one claiming to be the youth wing of the party.

Posting between 6 and 14 November, the account @YLZANUPF1 was highly critical of former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa and General Constantino Chiwenga, external, and supportive, external of Grace Mugabe's bid for the vice-presidency.

However, since the military seized power on Wednesday morning the tone of their posts had radically changed.

It sent out tweets praising the "gallant Zimbabwean Army", external which was "professionally and peacefully carrying out the National Democratic Project, external". Some have been left questioning if control of this account has changed hands.

Read more: BBC Trending on Zimbabwe’s Twitter confusion

Talks between President Robert Mugabe and regional envoys have started in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, South Africa's foreign affairs spokesman has told the AFP news agency.

Clayson Monyela is quoted as saying:

Mr Mugabe travelled to State House from his residence in the northern suburb of Borrowdale, where he has been held under house arrest by the military since overnight on Tuesday.

The army takeover is an apparent attempt to block his wife's ascendance to the presidency.

According to sources close to the president, Mr Mugabe is intent on staying on until next year's elections.

A photographer today snapped an election poster in the capital:

Image source, AFP

The BBC's Andrew Harding describes the atmosphere in Zimbabwe amid the uncertainty around their leader's future.

He says people are, by in large, overjoyed by what is happening. Watch his report:

Image source, EPA

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has called on President Robert Mugabe to resign immediately in the interest of the people of Zimbabwe.

He has also echoed other opposition calls for a transitional arrangement.

South African new outlet News24 was at the press conference in the capital, Harare, and reports the opposition MDC leader as saying, external:

According to the Zim Media Review Twitter account, Mr Tsvanigirai said it was up to the army generals to decide on the Mugabe couple's future:

He also said his disagreements with President Robert Mugabe had always been strictly political - about the way he governed and managed elections, not personal:

Sammy Maina
BBC Monitoring

Joice Mujru, a former vice-president and leader of the opposition People's Rainbow Coalition (PRC), has called for an all-inclusive national dialogue leading to free and fair elections in Zimbabwe:

Ms Mujuru's address was streamed live on the Facebook page of News24, a South African news outlet:

Before her sacking in 2014, Ms Mujuru was President Robert Mugabe's heir apparent. She was expelled from Zimbabwe's ruling party in 2015.

Last month, she was elected leader of People's Rainbow Coalition, comprising of six opposition parties.

A Zimbabwan journalist has tweeted this photo of camera crews and journalists jostling for positions as they prepare for Morgan Tsvangirai's press conference to begin.

The opposition MDC leader and one-time Zimbabwean prime minister is due to speak publicly for the first time since yesterday's military takeover.

David Monyae, a Zimbabwean political analyst and senior academic at the University of Johannesburg, external, has welcomed events in his home country as a positive development.

He told the BBC:

Mr Monyae adds that a new leader for the governing Zanu-PF party could bring a "fresh start" and new "leadership style" in matters of economic policy and preparations for the coming elections in 2018.

A Zimbabwean journalist has tweeted that an official convoy has just entered the grounds of the presidential office in central Harare.

He says President Robert Mugabe’s own motorcade has been seen going to nearby state house.

Image source, EPA

Guinea’s president, who is the current head of the African Union (AU), has reiterated his view that the continental body "will never accept the military coup" in Zimbabwe, the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.

He seems to be taking a harder line than the AU commission, which in a statement last night called for the crisis to be resolved “in a manner that promotes democracy and human rights” – but did not refer to the situation as a coup.

The generals who have taken power insist it is not a coup and that they are just dealing with “criminal elements” surrounding President Robert Mugabe.

Mr Conde became president of Guinea in 2010 after a lifelong battle against a series of despotic and military regimes which sent him into exile and prison.

Image source, Twitter

Political commentator George Shire, a UK-based loyalist of President Robert Mugabe, has told the BBC's Today programme that unlike Zimbabwe's disputed presidential election in 2008, what is happening now is not a challenge to the governing Zanu-PF party:

The long-time Zanu-PF supporter added:

Image source, AFP/REUTERS/EPA

As mediation efforts take place to try to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe - here's a look at the key players:

• Grace Mugabe, Robert's second wife and more than 40 years his junior, has risen from presidential typist to the most powerful woman in Zimbabwe
• Supporters point to her charitable and philanthropic work and refer to her as "Dr Amai", meaning "mother", but her critics accuse her of pursuing a ruthless campaign for wealth and power
• Her many domestic business interests include a dairy farm estate outside Harare.

• Emmerson Mnangagwa was,until Mrs Mugabe's rise, viewed for several years as President Mugabe's anointed successor
• He is known in Zimbabwe as "ngwena" or "crocodile" (and his supporters as "Lacoste") because of his political cunning
• As a former defence and national security minister among others, he was a key link between the ruling party and Zimbabwe's military and intelligence agencies. He is also chair of the Joint Operations Command, in charge of state security.

• Gen Constantino Chiwenga is close ally of Mr Mnangagwa and has led Zimbabwe's national army since 1994
• Both men are products of the country's independence struggles, and Gen Chiwenga trained with the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army in Mozambique and later rising through its ranks. In 2003, he was promoted to commander general of the Zimbabwe combined armed forces
• He shocked Zimbabweans on Monday when he issued an open warning against those responsible for "purging" the ruling party of those who shared his roots in the country's struggles against colonialism, saying the military could step in.

The military takeover was provoked by splits within the ruling party over who should succeed 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe - as our colleagues at BBC Newsnight explain in this short video:

Read more: Key players in power struggle

South African cartoonist Sifiso Yalo has tweeted his take on President Robert Mugabe's predicament, referencing his call with South African leader Jacob Zuma.

Mr Zuma has sent two senior envoys to the country to try and negotiate an end to the crisis:

East Africa's best-known cartoonist, Gado, reflects that the army's takeover has been aimed at stemming the political ambitions of Grace Mugabe, who wanted to become vice-president:

Zimbabwean media mogul Trevor Ncube has just been tweeting his insights into the negotiations going on between the Mugabes and the military.

He confirms that the Catholic cleric Fidelis Mukonori is taking part in the mediation efforts (see earlier entry), but says there some points on which President Robert Mugabe is refusing to budge:

Read more: Why did the army act now?

Andrew Harding
BBC News, Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe remains under house arrest and yet his role is still crucial.

Can he be persuaded to step down officially and legitimise the military's dramatic intervention?

Or - as is being whispered from numerous sources - will the 93-year-old dig in his heels, refuse to go quietly, and prolong Zimbabwe's political agonies?

On the streets, it is hard to find anyone who wants Mr Mugabe to stay on but negotiating the manner of his departure and some sort of transitional agreement to follow could take some time.

For now, behind closed doors, soldiers, politicians and regional delegations are trying to plot a way forward.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Zimbabwe’s media usually toe the government line but today’s newspaper front pages make it clear there’s a new line to follow.

The most striking thing about them is a large absence of tough questions about what the army is doing.

The government-controlled Herald paper leads today with "Business as usual countrywide, external":

Its other main stories today include one encouraging civil servants to return to work and the profuse apology made by the Zanu-PF youth leader for previous remarks that “denigrated” the army (see earlier entry) – a hint perhaps of the underlying mood.

State TV and radio stations have also returned to their regular programming, with no updates on the situation.

In some of the privately owned papers, headlines dare to address the possible end of President Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule.

"Transitional govt planned … as Mugabe cornered, external" and "Zimbabwe scents the end of an era, external" are the main stories in the Financial Gazette.

A Newsday article entitled "Military takeover should be temporary, external" says:

It also includes a blog written by Alex Magaisa, external, former adviser to Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, which begins:

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

The Times of South Africa, external is pulling together all the memes coming out of the Zimbabwe crisis:

Image source, EPA

South Africa has sent a delegation for crisis talks with Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and the milltary commanders holding him under house arrest.

The country's Defence Minister Nosiviwe Maphisa-Nqakula and State Security Minister Bongani Bongo arrived in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, last night ahead of today's talks.

But Mr Mugabe is insisting he remains Zimbabwe's only legitimate ruler, South Africa's Times Live new site reports an intelligence source as saying, external.

Reuters news agency also reports that his rival, the ousted Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has been plotting a "post-Mugabe vision" for Zimbabwe for more than a year, alongside the military and opposition. Reuters says this information was revealed in Zimbabwean intelligence documents it had seen.

It also quoted sources as saying First Lady Grace Mugabe was being detained at the Mugabe's private residence in the capital, known as "Blue Roof".

Image source, AFP

Opposition politician Tendai Biti, who served as finance minister in Zimbabwe's unity government from 2009-2013, says the country urgently needs a transitional authority so it can "go back to democracy".

He told the BBC’s Newsday programme that he hoped dialogue could “now be opened between the army and Zimbabweans” and regional mediators.

The People's Democratic Party leader said the military takeover had taken Zimbabweans by surprise, saying they never thought President Robert Mugabe would “go through his own hand”.

He added that it was important to understand the army’s role in the country’s history.

Image source, AFP

Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), might consider entering a transitional government following the military takeover, but only if certain conditions were met, its secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora has told the BBC's Newsday programme.

The MDC was once part of an ill-fated power-sharing government with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF that lasted four years until 2013.

It followed disputed elections in 2008 in which MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the first round but withdrew from the run-off.

The party is meeting today to discuss how to respond to the country's political crisis.

Mr Mwonzora outlined some of the party's thoughts about the military intervention and joining a transitional administration: