ZESN - Promoting Democratic Elections in Zimbabwe • • • • • • • • • • • Residual mistrust from previous cycles affected the ZEC's operations; There was a proliferation of political parties due to absence of the law governing their establishment, registration, and operation; The missions noted that there was violence during primary elections; The missions raised concerns over expressions of violence targeted at female political candidates; The missions applauded the presence of Red Cross Society to provide assistance when needed; The observer missions noted that there was transparency during the voting process and the counting of votes; The high observer accreditation fees charged deterred observer groups from deploying observers comprehensively across Zimbabwe; Zimbabweans should exercise their political rights peacefully; All parties should respect the rule of law; The observer missions did not witness any instances of politically motivated violence; and The observer missions noted that the Media Monitoring Committee was not effective. 81 REPORT ON THE 30 JULY 2018 HARMONISED ELECTIONS ZESN