Commonwealth director of media and public relations, Professor Barnie Choudhury has revealed that body will be sending a delegation to assess Zimbabwe’s eligibility to rejoin the organisation. Speaking to the Sunday Mail, Choudhury said,
Commonwealth Heads of Government agreed to a new set of membership criteria at their Kampala CHOGM in 2007, which is a four-step process. The first step, which is the secretary-general’s informal assessment, is now in progress, and an assessment mission to Zimbabwe is expected to be undertaken imminently.
The timeline for the remainder of the membership process will be subject to the assessment mission findings, and if necessary, the conclusions of any other informal assessment measures the secretary-general may wish to undertake. The second step of the process, that is consultations with member governments, will commence once these findings have been shared with them.
This comes after President Emmerson Mnangagwa wrote to Commonwealth secretary-general Ms Patricia Scotland expressing Zimbabwe’s willingness to rejoin the organisation.
Zimbabwe left the Commonwealth in December 2003, after former President Robert Mugabe pulled the country out of the organisation when he refused to accept the decision made at the Abuja summit, to maintain Zimbabwe’s suspension indefinitely.
More: Sunday Mail