Britain wants Zimbabwe to rejoin the international community following the resignation of Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.
“We want to see that country rejoining the international community,” May told parliament.
NAN reports that on Tuesday May said Mugabe’s resignation gave Zimbabwe “an opportunity to forge a new path free of the oppression that characterised his rule,” and declared Britain stood ready to help.
“In recent days we have seen the desire of the Zimbabwean people for free and fair elections and the opportunity to rebuild the country’s economy under a legitimate government,” she said in a statement.
May added: “As Zimbabwe’s oldest friend we will do all we can to support this, working with our international and regional partners to help the country achieve the brighter future it so deserves.”
Mugabe, who had led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, resigned as president on Tuesday as parliament began impeachment proceedings after a military takeover.
Welcoming his decision, British Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, added to May’s call for free and fair elections.
Johnson said: “I will not pretend to regret Mugabe’s downfall: but this can now be a turning point, a moment of hope for this beautiful country, full of potential.
“The immediate priority is to ensure that Zimbabwe has a legitimate government, appointed through free and fair elections in accordance with the constitution.”
Johnson pledged that Britain stood “ready to support Zimbabwe in this goal”.
On Friday, he also expressed hope for change in the country, but warned that “nobody wants simply to see the transition from one unelected tyrant to the next”.
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