President Emmerson Mnangagwa's efforts to get Zimbabwe back into the Commonwealth are being backed by the grouping's secretary general, Patricia Scotland, who believes he has done enough to warrant a return.
This is despite a report by its own observers that casts doubt on the integrity of Zimbabwe's latest election.
Scotland, who is the outgoing Commonwealth secretary general, sent a 52-page report to all members of the union of former British colonies, seeking objections to her intended steps towards re-admitting Zimbabwe which she says has made "remarkable democratic progress".
The report acknowledges that Zimbabwe still has "challenges" on issues such as political prisoners, repression of civil society and restrictions on political activity. But an "overwhelming number" of Commonwealth member states believe readmission would help Zimbabwe to improve its democratic processes, the report says.
The Commonwealth members are facing pressure to give their views on Zimbabwe's readmission within weeks after they were given a deadline of November 26 to reply.
If there are no objections, she said, she will invite Zimbabwe to make a formal application, the final stage before it can rejoin the Commonwealth.
"Various stakeholders in Zimbabwe have underscored progress made and reported an overall improved political environment in Zimbabwe, and though there is still much to be achieved, I am certain that with the help of the Commonwealth family, the country will flourish once again," reads part of the confidential document.
"Zimbabwe has delivered on its commitment to demonstrate solid and sustained political will towards implementing the necessary reforms to align Zimbabwe's democratic institutions and processes with Commonwealth values and principles.
"While Zimbabwe is still in the early stages of its democratic journey, and challenges remain, including the outstanding issue of political prisoners and upholding freedom of association, most of the core criteria have been sufficiently and broadly met.
"Should the broader membership agree, the Secretariat is well equipped to support Zimbabwe further strengthen its democratic and human rights credentials, and maintain its commitment to upholding the integrity of Zimbabwe's Constitution, as a member of the family.
"In this regard, I recommend that Zimbabwe's membership process progresses to the next stage of the membership process, which entails my consultation with member countries.
"I hereby request Heads to consider allowing me to invite Zimbabwe to submit its formal application for readmission. In the absence of any objections submitted to me by the date specified on my letter, I will invite Zimbabwe to submit a formal application in line with the 2007 agreed membership process."
Late President Robert Mugabe pulled Zimbabwe out of the grouping at the height of Zimbabwe's tiff with the United Kingdom and other Western countries, in the early 2000s.
But his successor, Mnangagwa, announced in 2018 that he was seeking readmission to the Commonwealth, as part of a broader strategy to regain access to foreign investment and international loans.
The case for readmission, however, is undermined by a critical report from the Commonwealth observers who monitored Zimbabwe's election in 2023. The report was completed in early 2024 but was not made public for most of this year. The report is still not listed on the main public pages of the Commonwealth Secretariat's website, although in recent days it has been released to those who request it.
The 108-page report says the Zimbabwe election had deficiencies that "call into question the credibility, transparency and inclusivity of the election." It says the Commonwealth observer group was unable to endorse the vote because of significant issues before and during the election, including a lack of reform on political party registration, campaign finance and the election commission, and a media landscape that was heavily biased toward the state.
The deficiencies were "significant enough to severely affect" the credibility of the election, the report says.
Charmaine Wright, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth Secretariat, said the report by Scotland is being kept confidential because it is for the consideration of Commonwealth member states to help them make an "informed decision" about Zimbabwe's possible membership.
"The readmission of member countries has a robust membership process that includes consultation with stakeholders and reviews of the information provided," she said.
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The Commonwealth, according to its charter, promotes the principles of "free and democratic societies" - including human rights, the rule of law and freedom of expression. But critics say that these principles are increasingly jeopardized by its decision to admit countries such as Rwanda, Gabon and Togo, which are heavily authoritarian states with poor records on human rights.
Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), says it strongly opposes the country's bid to rejoin the Commonwealth.
CCC spokesperson, Promise Mkwananzi, said the Commonwealth should reject Zimbabwe's application because of the country's "gross violations" of democracy and human rights, including tainted elections, voter intimidation, manipulation and corruption by its election commission, and "unprecedented attacks" on the opposition.
Most African countries appear to support Zimbabwe's bid for readmission. But other countries are less keen. Several British politicians have argued that Zimbabwe is far from ready to rejoin the Commonwealth.
