ELECTORAL ACT ____________________________________________________________________________________ (f) one person nominated by the Minster responsible for foreign affairs; and (g) one person nominated by the Minster responsible for immigration; and (h) one person nominated by the Minister responsible for women’s affairs, gender or community development. [Paragraph inserted by s. 20 of Act No. 6 of 2018] (2) The functions of the Observers Accreditation Committee shall be, subject to this Part, to recommend to the Commission the accreditation of the following persons as observers— (a) individuals representing foreign countries or international organisations and foreign eminent persons who have applied to be accepted as observers; and (b) individuals representing local organisations and eminent persons from within Zimbabwe who have applied to be accepted as observers; and (c) individuals representing bodies that exercise functions similar to those of the Commission and that have been invited by the Commission to observe an election; and (d) individuals representing foreign countries or international organisations and foreign eminent persons who have been invited by the Minister responsible for foreign affairs to observe an election; and (e) individuals representing local organisations and eminent persons from within Zimbabwe who have been invited by the Minister to observe an election. 40I Accreditation of observers (1) An application for accreditation as an observer must be made no later than the fourth day before the first day of polling fixed in a proclamation made under section 38(1)(a), (b) or (c) for the election of the President, constituency members of the National Assembly or councillors. [Subsection substituted by s. 18 of Act No. 6 of 2014] (1a) An application for accreditation as an observer shall— (a) in the case of observers other than those referred to in paragraph (b), be made directly to the Chief Elections Officer; or (b) in the case of observers referred to in section 40H(2)(b) (that is to say, individuals representing local organisations and eminent persons from within Zimbabwe), be made indirectly to the Chief Elections Officer through the appropriate provincial elections officer of the province in which the observers propose to discharge their functions; and the application shall be made by any of the following— (c) the individual or eminent person who wishes to be accredited; or (d) the organisation that wishes its representatives to be accredited; or (e) the Minister or the Minister responsible for foreign affairs, in respect of individuals whom the Minister concerned has invited to observe an election; as the case may be. [Subsection inserted by s. 18 of Act No. 6 of 2014] (2) An application for accreditation made by an organisation or a Minister shall state the names of the individuals whom the organisation or Minister wishes to have accredited. (3) The Chief Elections Officer shall without delay forward to the Observers Accreditation Committee all applications for accreditation that he or she has received, as well as the names of any persons referred to in section 40H(2)(c) whom the Commission wants to have accredited, and the Observers Accreditation Committee shall forthwith consider the applications. (4) If the Minister responsible for foreign affairs has lodged an objection to the accreditation of a foreign individual or eminent person, the Observers Accreditation Committee shall pay due regard to the objection when deciding whether or not to recommend the individual’s or person’s accreditation. (5) After considering all applications for accreditation forwarded to it, the Observers Accreditation Committee shall submit its recommendations thereon to the Commission, and the 56