WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, pressed Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs nominee Ambassador Tibor Nagy on U.S.-Zimbabwe relations and broader political and economic reforms as prospects for free, fair, and credible elections in Zimbabwe remain uncertain ahead of voters going to the polls on July 30, 2018. In early April, Senator Coons met with President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe as part of a bipartisan Senate delegation to Niger, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Burkina Faso. 

“One of the core actions we could take would be to send an American ambassador. In your own experience, you were once recalled from retirement to serve as our ambassador in Nigeria,” said Senator Coons. “We have a nominee now from the administration who we might be able to get through this committee and the floor in a month, thus would arrive in Harare a week before a generationally significant election.”

Full audio and video available here. 

Excerpts from Sen. Coons’ Q&A are below:

Sen. Coons: Let me move to a country where we have an opportunity to advance democracy in a very real way and where they are watching very closely what is said and done here is Zimbabwe. I recently had a chance to lead a bipartisan CODEL. Senator Flake and Senator Booker were also with me where we visited with South Africa and Zimbabwe, both of which have relatively new presidents. And, as you know, on July 30, there will be an election in Zimbabwe. Prospects for democracy there are uncertain. In our lengthy one-on-one meeting with President Mnangagwa, he said all the right things and he has publicly continued to say and do good things, but there are significant unaddressed barriers to their restoration of full participation in the community of nations. Senator Flake and I introduced an amendment to ZDARA, the Zimbabwe Democracy and Recovery Act. Do you agree the United States should not relieve sanctions on Zimbabwe until the government takes concrete actions to demonstrate its respect for human rights, its commitment to free and fair elections, and to pursuing a genuine anti-corruption measures and a rules-based economy? 

Ambassador Nagy: Absolutely, Senator. Actions speak so much louder than words and we just have to wait to see what happens there. 

Senator Coons: One of the core actions we could take would be to send an American ambassador. In your own experience, you were once recalled from retirement to serve as our ambassador in Nigeria. We have a nominee now from the administration who we might be able to get through this committee and the floor in a month, thus would arrive in Harare a week before a generationally significant election. Would you recommend that the department look for a seasoned, experienced former ambassador to send as well as moving forward as fast as we can to confirm a new ambassadorial nominee? 

Ambassador Nagy: Senator, if confirmed, once I can look at all the details and information, I promise you, if I believe that would be a solution, I will move as quickly as possible for that, because in my own case, it really did help, to spend some time there in Nigeria. 

Senator Coons: Well, having someone with the length of service and range of experiences and relationships you have is going to be a terrific opportunity for us, but I am concerned about the press of time in a country that has a once-in-a-generation chance to get this right.  

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