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The Herald
Lawson Mabhena Assistant News Editor
The Commonwealth has badigned a team to observe Zimbabwe's upcoming elections.
In May, President Mnangagwa wrote to Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland expressing interest, in principle, Zimbabwe withdrew from the organization composed mainly of countries that were formerly part of of the British Empire in 2003 as a result of disagreements over land reform and electoral processes of the country.
However, since his inauguration, President Mnangagwa has undertaken a resumption of engagement, decongesting relations with the West and declaring that the country is now open for business.
In a statement released yesterday, the Commonweath announced former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama will lead a 24-member team to observe the July 30 elections.
In May it was the year that President Mnangagwa wrote to Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland to express his interest in joining the badociation and asking the Commonwealth to observe his next election.
The Secretary General of the Commonwealth said: deploy a group to observe the elections. His report on the electoral process will give member countries a clear vision of adherence to Commonwealth values in Zimbabwe, including democracy and the rule of law as well as the protection of human rights such as freedom of expression. Our heads of government have said twice, in 2009 and 2011, that they looked forward to Zimbabwe's return. I hope that the next elections prove that the conditions are good.
In April, Britain declared that it would strongly support Zimbabwe's return to the Commonwealth and congratulated President Mnangagwa for the impressive progress since former President Robert Mugabe resigned in November 2000.
President Mahama led the Commonwealth teams observing elections in Sierra Leone and Kenya
The team will submit its report to the Secretary-General, who will send it to the government from Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, political parties and all Commonwealth governments prior to its publication.
Members of the Observer Team: Mr. Gary Dunn (Australia), Mr. Darrel Bradley ( Belize), Mpho Moruakgomo (Botswana), Dr. Fonkam Azu & # 39; u (Cameroon), Ms. Sabrina Grover (Canada), Prof John Packer (Canada), Prof Kwadwo Afari-Gyan (Ghana), Hanna Tetteh (Ghana), M Jayanta Roy Chowdhury (India), Mrs. Margarette May Macaulay (Jama ica).
Others: Judge Willy Munyoki Mutunga (Kenya), Attorney Mary-Ann Ooi Suan Kim (Malaysia), Dr. Francis Agius (Malta), Mr. Tim Barnett (New Zealand), Ms. Andie Fong Toy (New Zealand) Ms. Clare A Keizer (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Ms. Marcella Sesay Samba (Sierra Leone), Ms. Janet Love (South Africa), Mr. Nikoli Edwards (Trinidad and Tobago) ), Prof Sylvia Tamale (Uganda), Lord Robert Hayward (United Kingdom), Baroness Margaret Jay (United Kingdom), Judge David Radford (United Kingdom).
The group of Commonwealth observers will arrive in Zimbabwe on July 23, 2018 and will be supported by a team of nine staff members. Commonwealth Secretariat, led by Katalaina Sapolu, Director of the Governance and Peace Directorate
If readmitted, Zimbabwe will benefit multilaterally and bilaterally from other member states.
The Commonwealth bloc comprises 2.4 billion people out of 53 countries, with a cumulative GDP set at $ 13 trillion by 2020. In 1965, Commonwealth countries tend to trade 20 percent more and generate 10 percent more foreign direct investment flows than other countries.
Overall bilateral trade costs between Commonwealth countries were 19 per cent lower on average than other countries.
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