Zimbabwe’s efforts to rejoin the Commonwealth have been stalled by the United Kingdom, which has stressed the need for significant improvements in governance and human rights before readmission can be considered.
This stance follows a recommendation from the Commonwealth Secretariat for Zimbabwe’s return, after consultations with member countries that ended on November 26. The UK, however, remains unconvinced of the country’s readiness to align with the principles outlined in the Commonwealth Charter.
In response to a parliamentary inquiry from Baroness Kate Hoey in the House of Lords, the UK’s Foreign Office expressed its conditional support for Zimbabwe’s eventual reentry. It emphasized that while the country had shown some progress, it had not yet met the required benchmarks in key areas such as democracy and governance.
The UK underscored its commitment to the Commonwealth’s values, stating that Zimbabwe’s readmission must be contingent on concrete and verifiable reforms.
Among its concerns, the UK highlighted Zimbabwe’s failure to address critical recommendations from the Commonwealth Election Observer Mission.
These included deficiencies in the country’s electoral process, which the UK sees as emblematic of broader governance issues. While expressing hope for Zimbabwe’s eventual return, the UK reiterated that any decision on readmission would depend on sustained progress in addressing these shortcomings.
