Zimbabwe has applied to rejoin the Commonwealth and has invited the bloc of former British colonies to send observers to its general elections set for this year.

Robert Mugabe, who was pushed out of office last year, pulled Zimbabwe out of the organisation in 2003 after Harare's membership was suspended following disputed elections held the previous year.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said in a statement on Monday that President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who replaced Mugabe after a de facto army coup in November, made the application on May 15.

"Zimbabwe's eventual return to the Commonwealth, following a successful membership application, would be a momentous occasion, given our shared rich history," Scotland said.

Mnangagwa has vowed to hold fair and free elections, and has pledged to revive the moribund economy by repairing international ties and attracting foreign investment.

Britain said last month that it would strongly support Zimbabwe returning to the Commonwealth.



Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted on Monday: "Fantastic news that Zimbabwe ... wishes to rejoin the Commonwealth."



"Zimbabwe must now show commitment to Commonwealth values of democracy and human rights," Johnson added.

If readmitted, Zimbabwe will become the fifth country to re-join the association - which has 53 member countries - after Gambia, South Africa, Pakistan and Fiji.

The other countries to have quit the organisation are Ireland, which left in 1949, and the Maldives, which exited in 2016. The last country to join was Rwanda, in 2009.</s>Zimbabwe has applied to rejoin the Commonwealth - 15 years after they left the group.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said she was delighted to receive a letter from Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa, dated 15 May.

However, she added they would only return "when the conditions are right".

President Mnangagwa, who came to power in November after long-time leader Robert Mugabe was ousted, has said repeatedly he wants to rebuild international ties.

In a statement released on the Commonwealth's website, Baroness Scotland said:

I whole-heartedly echo the sentiments of heads of government who have said twice, in 2009 and subsequently in 2011, that they very much look forward to Zimbabwe’s return when the conditions are right.

Zimbabwe’s eventual return to the Commonwealth, following a successful membership application, would be a momentous occasion, given our shared rich history."

Zimbabwe withdrew from the 53 country-strong Commonwealth in 2003, having initially joined in 1980, after its membership was suspended amid reports of election rigging.

President Mugabe rejected previous attempts to bring the country back into the group.

The Commonwealth statement said the country would have to comply with "the fundamental values set out in the Commonwealth Charter, including democracy and rule of law plus protection of human rights such as freedom of expression" before being allowed to rejoin.

Commonwealth observers have been invited to attend this year's elections in Zimbabwe - a process which will now form part of the informal assessment which will be carried out as part of the application.

The other member countries will also be consulted, the statement added.</s>Zimbabwe has applied to rejoin the Commonwealth – 15 years after they left the group.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said she was delighted to receive a letter from Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, dated 15 May.

However, she added they would only return “when the conditions are right”.

President Mnangagwa, who came to power in November after long-time leader Robert Mugabe was ousted, has said repeatedly he wants to rebuild international ties.

In a statement released on the Commonwealth’s website, Baroness Scotland said:

Zimbabwe withdrew from the 53 country-strong Commonwealth in 2003, having initially joined in 1980, after its membership was suspended amid reports of election rigging.

President Mugabe rejected previous attempts to bring the country back into the group.

The Commonwealth statement said the country would have to comply with “the fundamental values set out in the Commonwealth Charter, including democracy and rule of law plus protection of human rights such as freedom of expression” before being allowed to rejoin.

Commonwealth observers have been invited to attend this year’s elections in Zimbabwe – a process which will now form part of the informal assessment which will be carried out as part of the application.

The other member countries will also be consulted, the statement added.</s>Zimbabwe has applied to rejoin the Commonwealth, marking a major step in the country’s international re-engagement after Robert Mugabe was ousted last year.

Mugabe angrily pulled Zimbabwe out of the bloc of former British colonies in 2003 after its membership was suspended over violent and graft-ridden elections the previous year.

The Commonwealth said it had received a letter dated May 15 from Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa applying to re-join.

Member countries “very much look forward to Zimbabwe’s return when the conditions are right,” said Secretary-General Patricia Scotland in a statement from London.

“Zimbabwe’s eventual return to the Commonwealth, following a successful membership application, would be a momentous occasion.”

Scotland confirmed that the Commonwealth would send observers to elections due in July or August, the first polls since Mugabe was ousted in November after a brief military takeover.

Mugabe was replaced by his former deputy Mnangagwa, a veteran ruling ZANU-PF party loyalist who was backed by senior military officers.

Mnangagwa has vowed to hold fair and free elections, and has pledged to revive the moribund economy by repairing international ties and attracting foreign investment.

Scotland called for “a credible, peaceful and inclusive (election) that restores citizens’ confidence, trust and hope in the development and democratic trajectory of their country.”

Britain said last month that it would strongly support Zimbabwe returning to the Commonwealth.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted Monday: “Fantastic news that Zimbabwe … wishes to rejoin the Commonwealth”.

“Zimbabwe must now show commitment to Commonwealth values of democracy and human rights,” Johnson added.

Zimbabwe had fractured relations with the West under Mugabe, who had held power since independence from Britain in 1980.

The government in Harare was not immediately available to comment.

If re-admitted, Zimbabwe will become the fifth country to re-join the voluntary association of mostly former territories of the British empire, after Gambia, South Africa, Pakistan and Fiji.

The Gambia re-joined the Commonwealth in February this year after the impoverished West African nation was in 2013 suddenly pulled out of the bloc by ex-president Yahya Jammeh.

The other countries to have quit the organisation are Ireland, which left in 1949 and the Maldives which exited in 2016.

The Commonwealth brings together 53 countries representing 2.4 billion people, under a charter pledging commitment to democracy, human rights and rule of law.

The last country to join was Rwanda, in 2009.

The organisation also holds an Olympics-style multi-sport event every four years, most recently in Australia’s Gold Coast in April.

Zimbabwe left the Commonwealth at the height of violent land seizures, when white farmers were evicted in favour of landless black people in a policy that wrecked the agriculture sector and triggered national economic collapse.</s>Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, said Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa submitted a application on May 15 for the country to return to the 53-member group of mostly British former colonies.

"Zimbabwe's eventual return to the Commonwealth, following a successful membership application, would be a momentous occasion, given our shared rich history," Scotland said in a statement.

To rejoin, Zimbabwe must go through an assessment followed by consultations with other members states, the statement said.

Zimbabwe was first suspended from the Commonwealth in 2002 on the grounds that Mugabe, who had ruled the country since independence in 1980, rigged his re-election in 2002 and persecuted his opponents.

The former dictator withdrew Zimbabwe's membership out of the group after the country's suspension was renewed in 2003. Mugabe was ousted last November following a military takeover and impending impeachment ending his 37-year rule over the country. The Commonwealth secretariat will send observers to monitor the country's elections in July, following an invitation from the Zimbabwean government, the statement said.</s>, Harare, Zimbabwe, May 21 – Zimbabwe has applied to rejoin the Commonwealth, the group said Monday, marking a major step in the country’s international re-engagement after Robert Mugabe was ousted last year.

Mugabe angrily pulled Zimbabwe out of the bloc of former British colonies in 2003 after its membership was suspended over violent and graft-ridden elections the previous year.

The Commonwealth said it had received a letter dated May 15 from Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa applying to re-join.

Member countries “very much look forward to Zimbabwe’s return when the conditions are right,” said Secretary-General Patricia Scotland in a statement from London.

“Zimbabwe’s eventual return to the Commonwealth, following a successful membership application, would be a momentous occasion.”

Scotland confirmed that the Commonwealth would send observers to elections due in July or August, the first polls since Mugabe was ousted in November after a brief military takeover.

Mugabe was replaced by his former deputy Mnangagwa, a veteran ruling ZANU-PF party loyalist who was backed by senior military officers.

Mnangagwa has vowed to hold fair and free elections, and has pledged to revive the moribund economy by repairing international ties and attracting foreign investment.

Scotland called for “a credible, peaceful and inclusive (election) that restores citizens’ confidence, trust and hope in the development and democratic trajectory of their country.”

Britain said last month that it would strongly support Zimbabwe returning to the Commonwealth.

Zimbabwe had fractured relations with the West under Mugabe, who had held power since independence from Britain in 1980.

The government in Harare was not immediately available to comment.

The Commonwealth brings together 53 countries representing 2.4 billion people, under a charter pledging commitment to democracy, human rights and rule of law.

The last country to join was Rwanda, in 2009.

The organisation also holds an Olympics-style multi-sport event every four years, most recently in Australia’s Gold Coast in April.</s>HARARE - President Emmerson Mnangagwa has officially applied for Zimbabwe to rejoin the Commonwealth it left in 2003 and has invited the grouping of former British colonies to send observers to its general elections set for July.

The southern African nation formally quit the Commonwealth after then leader Robert Mugabe, who had ruled Zimbabwe from its independence in 1980, came under criticism over disputed elections and land seizures from white farmers.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said in a statement that Mnangagwa, who replaced Mugabe after a de facto army coup in November, made the application on 15 May.

“Zimbabwe’s eventual return to the Commonwealth, following a successful membership application, would be a momentous occasion, given our shared rich history,” Scotland said.

Mnangagwa is expected to fix an election date at the end of this month.

The presidential, parliamentary and council elections are seen as a litmust test of Mnangagwa’s democratic credentials and if agreed by Western powers, international lenders could begin lending to the country for the first time in 20 years.

Election observers will produce a report that will form part of an informal assessment used to deternmine Zimbabwe’s re-admission, Scotland said.</s>
• None Boris Johnson, the UK foreign secretary tweeted that Zimbabwe must now show commitment to Commonwealth values of democracy and human rights.

Zimbabwe has applied to re-join the Commonwealth and comply with the fundamental values set out in the Commonwealth Charter, including democracy and rule of law plus protection of human rights such as freedom of expression.

The country also invited the Commonwealth to observe its forthcoming elections in July.

The former president, Robert Mugabe pulled Zimbabwe out of the Commonwealth in 2003 after country's membership was suspended following disputed elections held the previous year.

The proposal came in a letter sent to the Secretary-General Patricia Scotland from Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on May 9, 2018.

The Secretary-General while receiving the letter said: “I wholeheartedly echo the sentiments of Heads of Government who have said twice, in 2009 and subsequently in 2011, that they very much look forward to Zimbabwe’s return when the conditions are right.

“Zimbabwe’s eventual return to the Commonwealth, following a successful membership application, would be a momentous occasion, given our shared rich history,” she said.

Zimbabwean president, Emmerson Mnangagwa has vowed to hold fair and free elections and has pledged to revive the moribund economy by repairing international ties and attracting foreign investment.

Boris Johnson, UK foreign secretary tweeted on Monday: "Fantastic news that Zimbabwe ... wishes to rejoin the Commonwealth."

"Zimbabwe must now show commitment to Commonwealth values of democracy and human rights," Johnson added.

Zimbabwe will become the fifth country to re-join the Commonwealth- with 53 member countries.</s>Zimbabwe has applied to re-join the Commonwealth. The proposal came in a letter dated 15 May to Secretary-General Patricia Scotland from Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The Secretary-General was delighted to receive the letter. “I whole-heartedly echo the sentiments of Heads of Government who have said twice, in 2009 and subsequently in 2011, that they very much look forward to Zimbabwe’s return when the conditions are right. Zimbabwe’s eventual return to the Commonwealth, following a successful membership application, would be a momentous occasion, given our shared rich history,” she said.

Zimbabwe joined the Commonwealth on its independence in 1980 and withdrew from the organisation in 2003.

To re-join, Zimbabwe must demonstrate that it complies with the fundamental values set out in the Commonwealth Charter, including democracy and rule of law plus protection of human rights such as freedom of expression.

The membership process requires an informal assessment to be undertaken by representatives of the Secretary-General, followed by consultations with other Commonwealth countries.

Zimbabwe has also invited the Commonwealth to observe its forthcoming elections in July. The Secretariat is now mobilising a team of observers to do so – and their observations will form part of the Secretary-General’s informal assessment.

“I urge the government, opposition parties, the election management body, civil society, and all stakeholders, to play their part in ensuring a credible, peaceful and inclusive process that restores citizens’ confidence, trust and hope in the development and democratic trajectory</s>PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has written to the Commonwealth secretary-general Patricia Scotland seeking Zimbabwe’s re-admission in the organisation 15 years after former President Robert Mugabe unilaterally withdrew the country in 2003.

However, Scotland has urged Zimbabwe’s government, opposition parties, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, civil society, and all stakeholders, “to play their part in ensuring a credible, peaceful and inclusive process that restores citizens’ confidence, trust and hope”, as the country seeks re-admission into the organisation.

Scotland made the remarks yesterday in response to Mnangagwa’s application dated May 15, 2018.

“I urge the government, opposition parties, the election management body, civil society, and all stakeholders, to play their part in ensuring a credible, peaceful and inclusive process that restores citizens’ confidence, trust and hope in the development and democratic trajectory of their country,” she said.

“I whole-heartedly echo the sentiments of Heads of Government, who have said twice, in 2009 and subsequently in 2011, that they very much look forward to Zimbabwe’s return when the conditions are right. Zimbabwe’s eventual return to the Commonwealth, following a successful membership application, would be a momentous occasion, given our shared rich history,” Scotland said.

United Kingdom foreign secretary Boris Johnson said on Twitter: “Fantastic news that Zimbabwe wishes to rejoin the Commonwealth. Wonderful that this follows productive talks at April’s Commonwealth Summit in London. Zimbabwe must now show commitment to Commonwealth values of democracy and human rights.”

Zimbabwe joined the Commonwealth on its independence in 1980.

Scotland said, to re-join, the country must demonstrate that it complies with the fundamental values set out in the Commonwealth Charter, including democracy and rule of law, plus protection of human rights such as freedom of expression.

Zimbabwe has also invited the Commonwealth to observe its forthcoming elections in July and Scotland said the secretariat was now mobilising a team of observers to do so, adding their observations would form part of the secretary-general’s informal

 assessment.
Zimbabwe applies to rejoin the Commonwealth of Nations. Zimbabwe left the Commonwealth in 2003 following a disputed election the previous year and subsequent suspension from the organization. According to Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, the application was made on May 15.