Appendix A 67 IRI-NDI Pre-Election Assessment Mission Statement Zimbabwe 2018 Harmonized Elections ● Freedom of Assembly – It is widely held that the political climate has improved significantly from previous elections. However, the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) remains on the books. This legislation has been widely criticized for placing undue burdens on the freedom of assembly and has been used in past elections to prevent opposition parties from campaigning and conducting ordinary party activities. As this legislation has not been repealed, amended, or suspended, it remains a potential threat to the ability of all parties to participate freely in the elections. ● Polling Stations – The new polling station-based voters roll system is an improvement over the ward-based voters-roll system of past elections, as each polling station now has a maximum number of 1,000 voters. An analysis of the list of inspection centers reveals that the national average of registrants per polling station is currently 503. However, for Harare the average number of registrants per polling station is 753. While a higher number of registrants per polling station is expected in urban areas, this is a significant discrepancy. It is particularly concerning given the history of insufficient polling stations in Harare, which led to long queues and voters not being able to cast their ballots. ● Acceptance of Results – While stakeholders have welcomed President Mnangagwa’s repeated public commitments to hold credible elections, concerns remain about whether the military will accept the outcome of the presidential election. Senior military figures have historically made public pronouncements implying that they would only recognize a president from the ruling party and with liberation struggle credentials. Similar statements by government officials have again been made in advance of the upcoming polls. Recommendations With seven weeks until election day, there are a number of steps that can be taken to help Zimbabwe make a clear break with its history of flawed elections. Changing Zimbabwe’s electoral trajectory will require pro-active and concerted efforts to instill public confidence. In the spirit of international cooperation, the IRI-NDI delegation offers, respectfully, the following recommendations: ● Focus Voter Education on the Secrecy of the Vote – Just as President Mnangagwa has publicly and repeatedly called for credible elections, he and other senior officials in key positions should publicly and repeatedly affirm that the secrecy of the ballot cannot be compromised and that voters should vote their conscience. The ZEC should approve voter education materials with this message and engage in a widespread voter education campaign on this issue. Civic organizations and church groups should be funded and empowered to conduct voter education efforts around the secrecy of the ballot. These campaigns should employ television, radio, social media, print media and public events to spread this message. ● Ensure Military Respect for Election Outcome – Senior officers of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF) should make public and unambiguous statements that all branches of the military will loyally serve the winner of this and future elections. Military officers and government officials should refrain from any statements suggesting that the military would not accept the outcome of the election. Additionally, police personnel deployed on election 7