British Parliament says Zimbabwe stands better chance of rejoining Commonwealth if Mnangagwa steps down
LORD David Howell of the British House of Lords has urged his government to explain to President Emmerson Mnangagwa that Zimbabwe stands a better chance of being accepted back into the Commonwealth if he steps down after his two terms. Zimbabwe was suspended from the group of nations in 2002 over disputed elections and land […] The post British Parliament says Zimbabwe stands better chance of rejoining Commonwealth if Mnangagwa steps down appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.
Black News 
LORD David Howell of the British House of Lords has urged his government to explain to President Emmerson Mnangagwa that Zimbabwe stands a better chance of being accepted back into the Commonwealth if he steps down after his two terms.
Zimbabwe was suspended from the group of nations in 2002 over disputed elections and land seizures sanctioned by late President Robert Mugabe. A year later he pulled the country out of the union.
Upon being handed the reigns of power by the army in 2017, Mnangagwa preached re-engagement and set himself a target of getting Zimbabwe back in the Commonwealth.
Mnangagwa, desperate for readmission, initiated the process of rejoining in 2018 as part of a re-engagement policy, even inviting the Commonwealth to assess Zimbabwe’s harmonised elections.
His decision to force through an amendment that will extend his term by two years, without going for a referendum, as is dictated by the Constitution, is now threatening all hopes of being accepted back.
“My Lords, the Minister probably knows that Zimbabwe is rather keen to rejoin the Commonwealth.
“Could it be explained to President Mnangagwa that the chances of doing so will be much improved if he stands down after two terms, since the Commonwealth on the whole—it does not always work—prefers presidents of two terms rather than indefinite terms?” said Lord Howell.
Although Zimbabwe claims to have met all requirements for readmission the Commonwealth maintains that democratic reforms are central to its decision as a bloc.
It is up to Commonwealth’s Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey to recommend Zimbabwe’s readmission and for its members to vote on it.
“There was a Commonwealth assessment mission in 2023, and we would welcome another assessment mission,” said Lord Gerard Lemos in response.
“In the end, it will be a matter for the Secretary-General to make a recommendation, and for all members of the Commonwealth to take a view.”
In the UK House of Lords, Baroness Kate Hoey raised concerns over Zimbabwe’s proposed Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3 and its potential impact on governance.
Follow our WhatsApp channel https://t.co/4EHrosKaUf pic.twitter.com/QqI5ZXjbOX
— NewZimbabwe.com (@NewZimbabweCom) April 16, 2026
Even after publicly declaring that he will respect the Zimbabwean Constitution and step down after serving his two terms, Mnangagwa is trudging ahead with amendments that will not just keep him in office until 2030 but also change the way Presidents are elected in Zimbabwe.
Seen as a way of centralising, Members of Parliament (MPs) will be the ones to vote for the State leader if Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 is passed, as is expected.
Although there have been murmurs of resistance within his Zanu PF, they have been inconsequential with the faction against these amendments battling to contain party policy on it.
The post British Parliament says Zimbabwe stands better chance of rejoining Commonwealth if Mnangagwa steps down appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.
