Commonwealth Suspends Zimbabwe for Electoral Violence

The Commonwealth stopped short of expelling Zimbabwe on Tuesday but decided to suspend the southern African nation from its councils for a year because of the “high level of politically motivated violence” during its recent election.

The decision means no Zimbabwean representative may take part in any meeting of the 54-nation grouping of Britain and its former colonies in the coming year.

“This issue will be revisited in 12 months,” Australian Prime Minister John Howard said.

Howard, chairman of a troika of Commonwealth leaders who met in London on Tuesday, noted that the organization’s observers concluded that the March 9-11 election that gave President Robert Mugabe another six-year term had not allowed for a free expression of the wishes of the electorate.

Other independent observer groups also said the balloting, which followed preelection violence, was rigged to ensure Mugabe’s reelection.

Tuesday’s unanimous decision was made by Howard, South African President Thabo Mbeki and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. Industrialized nations of the Commonwealth had called for Zimbabwe’s expulsion, but Tuesday’s decision was probably the result of a compromise with African nations.

Mugabe was declared the winner of the election with 56% of votes.