Harare: A Commonwealth team has arrived in Zimbabwe for a five-day pre-election assessment ahead of the July 30 harmonised polls – a first since 2003.
“We have invited the Commonwealth as an organisation to come and observe our elections and observe the whole process,” Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo is quoted saying by the state media.
“But in the process, as they do so, they will then consider the processes of clearing other processes which are determinants in readmission into the Commonwealth.”
Former President Robert Mugabe pulled out of the Commonwealth following a fallout with erstwhile coloniser Britain over the land reform exercise at the turn of the millennium.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has expressed wish to re-join the Commonwealth.
“We have expressed an interest to re-join the Commonwealth and His Excellency communicated that to the secretariat but this is going to be subject to final confirmation at the end of this year at a conference where people are going to make their judgment on where we should be going to make a formal application,” he added.
A few months ago, government released a list of observers that government has said will invite to observe the country’s elections.
The list includes 46 countries; the European Union, United States of America and the Commonwealth. Also on the proposed list are US Senators.
