elections, ultimately reducing the total votes for each candidate. ZESN noted alarming statistics of assisted voters in the Mutoko North by-election, mostly women and on account of illiteracy. Due process was generally followed in assisted voting. There were cases of people who were redirected having turned up at the wrong polling stations. For the Mutoko North by-election, ZANU-PF deployed party agents comprehensively; every polling station and collation centre was manned by one or more ZANU-PF agents while MDC Alliance was not represented in only very few polling stations and the NCA did not an single agent at any of the centres. Other election observers namely the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, the US Embassy and the British Embassy deployed observers to the Mutoko North by-election. Worryingly, some traditional leaders were reported to have been election party agents for ZANU PF. Following counting, results were immediately posted outside the polling stations and at the constituency collating centre. At all polling stations that ZESN observed closing of polling and counting, party agents who were present signed the V11 forms. The ZANU-PF candidate, Rambidzai Nyabote, won the Mutoko North Constituency by-election. ZANU-PF has retained the seat from 2000 when ZESN started to observe elections, albeit with fewer votes in 2008. There was also a 34% decrease in votes garnered by the ZANU-PF candidate in the byelection compared to the 2018 harmonised elections. For the MDC Alliance, and the same candidate, the margin was a 58% decrease. The Chegutu East Local Authority by-election was won by Obert Mutandinda of ZANU-PF who polled 326 votes as compared to 89 and 13 garnered by the MDC Alliance and NCA candidates respectively. 7