i Zimbabwe Harmonised Elections 30 July 2018 Contents Letter of Transmittal: Zimbabwe Harmonised Elections ............................. iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................. viii The electoral and legal framework ................................................................... viii Management of the electoral process ................................................................ ix The pre-election environment ........................................................................... x Election Day ....................................................................................................... xi Post-election phase .......................................................................................... xii Overall assessment ......................................................................................... xiii Chapter 1 ....................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 Terms of reference ............................................................................................ 1 Activities ............................................................................................................. 2 Chapter 2 ....................................................................................... 4 POLITICAL BACKGROUND .................................................................................. 4 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 4 From British colonial influence to independence ................................................ 4 Post-independence until the 2000 referendum .................................................. 5 The 2000 and 2002 elections ............................................................................. 6 The 2008 and 2013 elections ............................................................................. 6 Lead-up to the 2018 elections ............................................................................ 7 The political landscape and political parties for the 2018 elections .................... 9 Chapter 3 ..................................................................................... 12 ELECTORAL FRAMEWORK AND ELECTION ADMINISTRATION .................... 12 Background ...................................................................................................... 12 The legal framework ........................................................................................ 13 Zimbabwe Electoral Commission ..................................................................... 14 Eligibility and voter registration ........................................................................ 15 Candidate eligibility, nomination and determination ......................................... 15 Boundary delimitation ...................................................................................... 17 i Proclamation and election period ..................................................................... 17 Political party funding ....................................................................................... 17 The media ........................................................................................................ 17 Complaints, appeals and election petitions ...................................................... 18 Key electoral issues for the 2018 Harmonised Elections ................................. 19 Recommendations ........................................................................................... 22 Chapter 4 ..................................................................................... 23 PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION..................................................................... 23 Background ...................................................................................................... 23 Gender ............................................................................................................. 23 Recommendations ........................................................................................... 26 Youth ............................................................................................................... 27 Recommendations ........................................................................................... 29 Persons with disabilities ................................................................................... 30 Recommendations ........................................................................................... 31 Elderly persons ................................................................................................ 32 Recommendations ........................................................................................... 33 Civil society ...................................................................................................... 33 Recommendations ........................................................................................... 36 Faith-based organisations ................................................................................ 36 Recommendations ........................................................................................... 37 Chapter 5 ..................................................................................... 38 ELECTION CAMPAIGN AND MEDIA .................................................................. 38 Campaign period ............................................................................................. 38 Pre-election campaign environment ................................................................ 38 Peace pledge and campaign atmosphere........................................................ 38 Conduct of the campaign ................................................................................. 40 Campaign financing ......................................................................................... 42 Recommendations ........................................................................................... 42 Media ............................................................................................................... 42 Recommendations ........................................................................................... 44 Chapter 6 ..................................................................................... 46 VOTING, COUNTING AND RESULTS TABULATION ......................................... 46 Background ...................................................................................................... 46 ii Key observations – Election Day ..................................................................... 47 Key procedures for opening and voting process .............................................. 48 Assessment of the opening of the polls and voting .......................................... 49 Key procedures for closing and counting process ........................................... 51 Assessment of closing and counting ................................................................ 53 Key procedures for results tabulation process ................................................. 54 Assessment of the results tabulation process .................................................. 55 Key observations – post-election period .......................................................... 56 Recommendations ........................................................................................... 59 Annex I: BIOGRAPHIES OF CHAIRPERSON AND OBSERVERS .......................... 61 Annex II: DEPLOYMENT PLAN ............................................................. 67 Annex III: ARRIVAL STATEMENT .......................................................... 68 Annex IV: INTERIM STATEMENT .......................................................... 70 Annex V: JOINT STATEMENT .............................................................. 72 iii Letter of Transmittal: Zimbabwe Harmonised Elections Commonwealth Observer Group Zimbabwe Harmonised Elections 30 July 2018 Dear Secretary-General, I am pleased to forward to you the final report of the Commonwealth Observer Group (‘the Group’) you constituted to observe Zimbabwe’s Harmonised Elections on 30 July 2018. It was my privilege to chair this eminent group of experts from different regions of the Commonwealth. We were honoured to accompany the people of Zimbabwe on their democratic journey, following the seminal political developments which precipitated these elections. We were profoundly appreciative of the warm welcome extended to us by all Zimbabweans we interacted with across the country. Ahead of the elections, we were briefed by key stakeholders in the electoral process, including the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, political parties, faith-based groups, civil society representatives, media representatives, young people and gender-focused groups, among others. On Election Day, we deployed across the ten provinces of the country, where we continued our interactions with local stakeholders. Our report, therefore, has been informed by these extensive consultations, as well as our observations on all aspects of the electoral cycle which we were able to observe. In accordance with our mandate, we assessed these elections against the national, regional and international laws and values Zimbabwe has committed