ZESN - Promoting Democratic Elections in Zimbabwe Foreword The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) is pleased to publish the 2018 Harmonized Elections Report. The report reviews the local, regional, and international legislative frameworks governing and guiding democratic elections in relation to the 2018 elections. It presents both narrative and quantitative analyses of the observation of the 2018 harmonized elections. among the electorate through specific outreach programmes. People with Disabilities (PWDs), women, youth, and the elderly were adequately represented and provided for in all the outreach programmes. The relevance of this report for future advocacy work and awareness-raising for inclusive and accessible elections cannot be underestimated. It will serve and contribute as a strategic tool for election stakeholders in promoting, monitoring, and evaluating democratic electoral processes in Zimbabwe. It is key to note that ZESN observed all the processes in the electoral cycle from the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) phase one to the mop-up exercise, the inspection of the voters' roll, the sitting of the Nomination Court, political rallies and campaigns, primary elections, Election Day processes, and the post-polling period. This report outlines ZESN's observations, challenges, lessons and recommendations. ZESN remains cognisant of the reports produced by local, regional, and international observers and notes the recommendations put forward for improvement in policy making, accountability, freeness, and credibility of future elections in Zimbabwe. The 2018 elections highlighted a positive shift in electoral processes with relative enjoyment of fundamental freedoms such as the freedom of expression, press freedom and freedom of association showing some improvement from past elections. The election witnessed the participation of more than a fifty political parties and a number of female presidential candidates. In addition, more women registered to vote in 2018 than in the previous electoral cycles. Despite the increase, the actual number of women who are represented in Parliament fell by 2%. Only twenty-six women were elected in 2018 as compared to twenty-nine in 2013. ZESN condemns in the strongest terms the excessive use of force on unarmed protesters on the 1st of August 2018 resulting in the loss of at least seven lives and urges the government to bring to book those responsible and let justice take its course. May the souls of the departed rest in eternal peace. ZESN held engagements with various stakeholders for the production of Civic and Voter Education (CVE) materials that were distributed widely Andrew Makoni ZESN Chairman 7 REPORT ON THE 30 JULY 2018 HARMONISED ELECTIONS ZESN