1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Electoral Environment
While the pre 29 March election political environment was relatively calm with evident
semblance of political tolerance to the campaigns by different parties in both rural and urban
areas, scenarios in the run up to the 27 June Presidential run- off cast an incomparable trend.
The electoral environment was generally tense with countrywide restrictions on freedom of
assembly and freedom of movement. Rural areas were virtually sealed off from opposition
rallies, the opposition leadership subjected to sporadic arrests and detentions, and their
campaign vehicles and buses reportedly impounded.
Holding of rallies was a preserve of the ruling ZANU-PF, whilst the MDC-T political rallies were
reportedly systematically disrupted by the ZANU PF militia and youth, mostly with the police as
passive witnesses. Liberation-war style bases were set up throughout the country where those
known or suspected to be in opposition politics went through a “political re-orientation”
program.
Hate speech, incitement of violence, and threats of war characterized electoral campaigns-with
the ruling party presidential candidate threatening to go back to war if he lost the election to the
MDC presidential candidate, whom he considered a puppet of the West. All in all, the political
environment resembled that of a country in a civil war.
Politically motivated violence escalated in the post election era to an overall figure of 17 605 by
July with an incident spread of 171 cases of murder, 16 cases of rape, 9 148 cases of
assaults, 827 cases of MDPs, 352 of torture, 9590 of harassment, 2165 of displacement and
137 of discriminations. Perpetrators of violence were reportedly making brisk capital out of the
political plight of their victims through charging fees such as returnee fee, pardon fee,
registration fees, among others. Zesn advocates for zero tolerance of violence and the
application of principles and the law on everyone alike.
Election reviews by SADC Election Observer Mission [SEOM], the Pan–African Parliament
Observer Mission, the African Union Observer Mission, and the Botswana Observer Team
strongly suggest an election that was grossly flawed in both process and outcome. It was
described as an election marred by politically motivated violence, overwhelming lack of access
to the public media by the opposition, restrictions on accreditation of local observers,
politicization of security forces, and gross lack of respect for the electoral process, among other
vices. The Pan African Parliament Observer Mission concluded that the atmosphere prevailing
in the country did not give rise to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections and exhorted
that conditions should be put in place for the holding of free, fair and credible elections in line
with the African Union Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections. The
SADC Observer Mission concluded that the elections did not conform to SADC Principles, that
the prevailing environment impinged on the credibility of the electoral process and was
therefore did not represent the will of the people while the AU Observer Mission concluded that
the Election process fell short of accepted AU standards and urged both parties to engage in
constructive dialogue. The Botswana Observer Team concluded that the credibility and integrity
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