Over 64 countries and international organizations have been invited to observe the August elections in Zimbabwe, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
"We [...] invited several countries in Europe and the Americas such as Russia, Belarus, the UK, US, as well as many from the Caribbean, the Pacific and Asia," the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Livit Mugejo said.
The authorities say the invitations are in line with its democratic tradition of holding free, fair and transparent elections.
According to the body, members of the Southern African Development Community, Pan-African Parliament, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa; African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States were asked to watch the polls.
Regarding the issue, Zimbabwe's Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Amon Murwira urged the incoming EU observers to "maintain strict impartiality, objectivity and independence" when discharging their mandate.
The President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa stressed that the foreign missions are being invited to partake "as observers, and not as monitors."
"No foreign power is a stakeholder in Zimbabwe’s electoral processes; this is why foreigners come in by invitation, and participate as observers, and not as monitors," he told the local media.
In late May, the Zimbabwean Foreign Ministry summoned the US ambassador to Harare to protest her flurry of pre-election posts on social media, saying "they border on interference in internal affairs."
The body then stressed that the US Embassy deviated from generally accepted diplomatic norms and values enshrined in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Zimbabwe Elections
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission recently endorsed 11 candidates for the presidential race scheduled for August 23.
Approved candidates include Mnangagwa - incumbent president and leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party - and Nelson Chamisa, who is the leader of the opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change.
Mnangagwa and Chamisa also competed in the presidential election in 2018, then, a year after the coup and overthrow of Robert Mugabe, the ZANU-PF leader managed to win with 51.4% of the vote against 45% of Chamisa.
According to the commission, the second round of presidential voting would be held on October 2, if necessary. To avoid a run-off, a presidential candidate must win 50% plus one vote.