16 IRI/NDI Zimbabwe International Election Observation Mission Final Report Mission Overview In response to President Mnangagwa’s invitation to observe the 2018 elections and with encouragement from political parties and civil society organizations (CSOs), the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) jointly formed the Zimbabwe International Electoral Observation Mission (ZIEOM) to demonstrate the international community‘s continued interest in and support for democratic change in Zimbabwe while providing Zimbabwean citizens, election and government officials, civic organizations, and other stakeholders with an objective assessment of the electoral process and practical recommendations for the future. Starting on May 17, the ZEC accredited ZIEOM to observe the voter roll inspection process. While historically accreditation was introduced only for Election Day due to restrictions in who can be present at polling stations, the ZEC had previously taken a narrow view that accreditation was required for observers to witness any aspect of the electoral process. By May 29, the period for voter roll inspection ended and parliament passed final amendments to the Electoral Act to better align the law with the 2013 Zimbabwe Constitution.4 The following day, May 30, President Mnangagwa announced that the elections would take place on July 30, which was within the constitutionally prescribed window for scheduling the national elections. From June 2 to 8, ZIEOM conducted a high-level Pre-Election Assessment Mission (PEAM) led by Dr. Brigalia Bam, former chairperson of the South African Independent Electoral Commission; Hon. David Dreier, former United States congressman; Senator Catherine Noone, Deputy Leader of the Irish Senate; and Barry Jackson, former chief of staff to the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The PEAM delegation issued a statement providing its assessment of the state of electoral preparations and recommended 13 practical actions that the Government of Zimbabwe and, in many cases, the ZEC could take to instill public confidence in the electoral process prior to the July 30 elections.5 The recommendations touched on a variety issues, including the release of the preliminary and final voters roll, promoting the secrecy of the ballot and permitting observation of the ballot printing process. ZIEOM deployed 14 long-term observers (LTOs) to Bulawayo (covering Bulawayo and Matabeleland South provinces), Masvingo (Masvingo province), Mutare (Manicaland province), Harare (covering Harare, Mashonaland Central and East provinces), Chinhoyi (Mashonaland West province), Gweru (Midlands province), and Bulawayo (Matabeleland North province) in June. The 14 LTOs included six women and eight men, and were nationals of 11 countries, including Benin, Canada, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, Uganda, United Kingdom, and the United States. From July 25 to August 2, an international delegation of short-term observers (STOs) joined the ZIEOM core team in Zimbabwe. The delegation members hailed from 11 countries and were co-led by former Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former Interim President of the Central African Republic Catherine Samba-Panza. The leadership 4 The amendments mainstreamed gender in all aspects of elections, shortened the closure of the voters roll to two days after the proclamation day, limited the surplus of ballot papers to 10 percent per polling station, excluded voter registration slips from the valid documents for election day, and extended the allowable period of residency in a constituency from 12 to 18 months before being removed from the voters roll. The amendments also introduced a broader definition of intimidation, further defined the Code of Conduct for Political Parties, repealed the prohibition on foreign contributions to voter education providers, and shortened the deadline for deciding on electoral petitions to six months and three months for the appeal of decisions. 5 See Appendix A for PEAM Statement.