President Emmerson Mnangagwa has welcomed a Commonwealth delegation, which has been tasked with observing Zimbabwe’s elections, into his official residence.
The team arrived at State House as the Commonwealth continues to decide whether it should readmit Zimbabwe.
Former President Robert Mugabe pulled Zimbabwe out of the group in 2003 after the nation was suspended for human rights violations. Zimbabwe applied to rejoin after Mr Mnangagwa took office in 2018.
On Monday, Zimbabwe’s information ministry posted a video of the Commonwealth’s delegation leader, at State House.
Observer groups from the European Union, regional bloc the South African Development Community (SADC), and the African Union also visited Mr Mnangagwa’s residence.
A Commonwealth spokesperson said last week that the group has been reassessing the nation’s “adherence to Commonwealth values”.
Wednesday’s elections will be a “significant step in the country’s democratic governance”, the statement said.
Civil society groups have expressed concerns that the polls will not be free or fair.
"The mandate of the Commonwealth Observer group is to observe the elections, not to monitor, not to supervise… We are very grateful that we were invited by the Government of Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs @MoFA_ZW to come and observe the elections even though as you… pic.twitter.com/bXwPFVXhEL
— Ministry of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting (@InfoMinZW) August 21, 2023