BULAWAYO – Zimbabwe must reform its governance and human rights record before it is readmitted into the Commonwealth, the United Kingdom has said, effectively blocking the country’s return to the body from which it was suspended in 2002.
The Commonwealth secretariat had recommended Zimbabwe’s readmission after giving member countries until November 26 to share their views. A readmission would require all members to approve.
The UK’s foreign office said the time is not yet right to readmit Zimbabwe.
In a written response to a question by Baroness Kate Hoey in the House of Lords, the foreign office said: “The UK has always been clear that we would like to see Zimbabwe return to the Commonwealth when the time is right. However, currently we do not share the secretariat’s assessment of Zimbabwe’s progress or readiness in line with the shared values and principles laid out in the Commonwealth Charter.
“Whilst we recognise there has been progress, we believe further steps are needed on democracy, governance and human rights before Zimbabwe makes a formal application to re-join the Commonwealth.”
In particular, the UK says Zimbabwe has not implemented recommendations by the Commonwealth Election Observer Mission.
The observers pointed to several deficiencies, including the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s lack of independence; exorbitant candidate registration fees which prevent participation; lack of judicial independence and lack of transparency in the announcement of election results.
The UK said it would “encourage a further Commonwealth assessment mission to Zimbabwe in 2025 to follow up on these areas.”
The foreign office added: “The UK strongly values our partnership with Zimbabwe and stands ready to support further reforms in this regard, through the Commonwealth and other fora.”
The Commonwealth is currently made up of 56 countries with roots in Britain’s empire. African countries had called for Zimbabwe’s return to the grouping.
