Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations has he made to his Zimbabwean counterpart on the role of (a) Zimbabwe Defence Forces and (b) war veterans during the 2018 elections in that country.
Former Minister for Africa Rory Stewart met President Mnangagwa on 24 November and discussed the need for transparent, free and fair elections in Zimbabwe, in line with Zimbabwe's constitutional requirements. We are clear that the military cannot be a partisan supporter of any one party if elections are to be deemed free and fair. I reinforced this message in my recent visit to Harare on February 1st and 2nd 2018.