The United States Embassy posted a number of tweets urging for a peaceful election in a nation with a history of bloody and contentious elections, and as a result, Zimbabwe’s foreign ministry summoned the deputy ambassador to explain the matter.
According to the ministry, the embassy published “election-related social media posts bordering on activism and meddling in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs.”
Following the tweets from the U.S. Embassy’s official Twitter account on Tuesday, Deputy Ambassador Elaine French was invited to a meeting with the acting permanent secretary for foreign affairs of Zimbabwe, Rofina Chikava.
The foreign ministry of Zimbabwe stated that they were specifically concerned about the tweet of May 26 encouraging Zimbabweans to “Register to vote and make sure your voice is heard.” In a separate tweet the embassy stated that “Zimbabwe’s constitution grants citizens the right to choose their representatives in legitimate, credible, & peaceful elections.”
The Zimbabwe foreign ministry while expressing their position said that the tweet was offensive and against diplomatic etiquette.
A U.S. Embassy spokesperson Meg Riggs stated, “We stand by our recent social media posts calling for peace during the election season. These neutral apolitical messages feature the work of Zimbabwean artists who wanted to engage their fellow youths on the importance of peace during an electoral process.”
George Charamba, Zimbabwe’s Deputy Chief Secretary, made a suggestion earlier on Tuesday that American election observers may not be permitted to participate in the coming elections.
The elections in Zimbabwe will take place in August, according to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The Zimbabwe electoral body said it is yet to ascertain the date in August.
However, since electioneering began, opposition parties have made allegations of intimidation and violence against the ruling ZANU-PF and its members. To buttress these claims, human rights organisations claim there is intimidation and that Mnangagwa’s administration is stifling the right to criticism despite a currency crisis and increasing food prices. ZANU-PF denied the charges, absolving its rank and file of any wrongdoing.
Relations between Zimbabwe and the U.S. have faced difficulties since the government of Robert Mugabe. For over a decade, Zimbabwe has been under strict sanctions for human rights abuses, championed by the U.S. government.
