32 IRI/NDI Zimbabwe International Election Observation Mission Final Report using politically motivated threats to influence voters were also prevalent. As the violence and intimidation of past elections remained fresh in the minds of many voters, these subtle or so-called “soft intimidation” methods affected voter confidence in the secrecy of the ballot and subverted the electoral process more broadly. Less serious offences were also noted, such as widespread complaints involving the destruction, defacement, and removal of campaign posters of many political parties and candidates throughout the country. In terms of campaign financing, there was an evident resource disparity between the ruling party and all opposition parties, which affected the presence of opposition parties in the provinces, their campaign activities, and their ability to recruit, train, and deploy party agents to observe Election Day proceedings. Under the Political Parties (Finance) Act, political parties that obtained 5 percent of the vote in previous elections qualified to receive state funding proportional to the amount of votes their candidates received.37 Still, the electoral playing field was severely imbalanced and the ruling ZANU-PF party relied heavily on the advantage of the incumbency, campaigning with little differentiation between the state and the party. Misuse of State Resources At this time, the Electoral Act does not address the use of state resources for campaign purposes. The misuse of state resources is detrimental to the electoral process as it disrupts the playing field, creates an unfair advantage for incumbent parties, and undermines public trust in the legitimacy of the process. ZANU-PF’s reliance on government school buildings, supplies, personnel, and vehicles during the campaign exacerbated the resource disparity among ruling and opposition parties and reinforced the perception of state and party interconnectedness. During the electoral cycle, attempts were made to curb the misuse of state resources through the courts. For example, on June 28, the High Court of Masvingo ruled that ZANU-PF should stop using students, teachers, and school property in pursuit of private political interests.38 The court granted the petitioners’ request that schoolchildren should not be forced to attend political rallies; political parties should not use school property to pursue private political interests; and teachers should not be forced to fund and participate in private political activities. ZANU-PF appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which automatically suspended the High Court’s decision. After a few important campaign weeks, where ZANU-PF reportedly continued the same behavior, the Supreme Court set aside the High Court judgment and dismissed the case without detailed reasoning. The distribution of food aid or agricultural inputs, such as seeds, fertilizer, and livestock, through the Presidential Inputs Scheme39 was commonly used as a method of influencing or coercing voters in rural areas. In some cases, distribution was conducted along partisan lines, excluding those believed not to support ZANU-PF. In other cases, input distribution or other community 37 Of the three parliamentary parties, only ZANU-PF and MDC-T qualified for state funding. ZANU-PF received U.S. $6.1 million, while MDC-T received $1.87 million. Despite receiving this funding, MDC Alliance reported resource challenges, as did other opposition parties that did not receive any state funding. Political party recruitment and training of party agents was funded by some international donors; however, the total number of agents that parties were able to deploy on Election Day was still insufficient to provide observation coverage of all polling stations. 38 Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe v. ZANU PF and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education 39 The Presidential Inputs Scheme began in June, which is several months earlier than the normal timeframe of October/November. “Presidential Inputs Scheme in early launch,” The Herald, June 15, 2018, https://www.herald. co.zw/presidential-inputs-scheme-in-early-launch/; “Presidential inputs distribution begins,” The Herald, July 9, 2018, https://www.herald.co.zw/presidential-inputs-distribution-begins-2/.