Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Following an invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Zimbabwe, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon. Patricia Scotland QC, constituted an Observer Group for the 30 July 2018 Harmonised Elections in Zimbabwe. In accepting Zimbabwe’s invitation, a departure was made from the Commonwealth’s usual practice of observing elections in member countries. This exception was possible because the government had initiated the country’s readmission process in a letter to the Secretary-General in May 2018. Within this context, the Commonwealth’s observation of these elections had an added significance. As part of the membership process, the conclusions in this report were to be considered by the Commonwealth Secretary-General in her assessment of Zimbabwe’s commitment to the Commonwealth’s values. In line with the Commonwealth’s usual practice pertaining to election observation, a pre-election assessment mission was conducted in Zimbabwe from 2 to 7 June 2018. The mission, inter alia, evaluated the pre-election environment, and further ascertained that there would be broad welcome for a Commonwealth Observer Group. On the basis of this pre-election assessment mission’s recommendations, the Commonwealth Secretary-General constituted a Commonwealth Observer Group. The Commonwealth Observer Group was led by Mr John Dramani Mahama, former President of Ghana, and comprised 23 eminent persons. A nine-person staff team from the Commonwealth Secretariat supported the Observer Group. A full list of members is provided in Annex I. Terms of reference The Group is established by the Commonwealth Secretary-General at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Zimbabwe. The Group is to consider the various factors impinging on the credibility of the electoral process as a whole. It will determine in its own judgement whether the elections have been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which the country has committed itself, with reference to national election-related legislation and relevant regional, Commonwealth and other international commitments. The Group is to act impartially and independently. It has no executive role; its function is not to supervise but to observe the process as a whole and to form a 1