Appendix A 61 IRI-NDI Pre-Election Assessment Mission Statement – Zimbabwe 2018 Harmonized Elections June 8, 2018 Introduction In response to President Mnangagwa’s public welcoming of international observers as well as requests from political leaders and civil society organizations, the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) are jointly observing Zimbabwe’s 2018 harmonized elections for president, parliament, and local government. IRI and NDI have observed collectively over 200 elections in more than 50 countries during the last 30 years. The IRI-NDI observation is being conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Observers, in conformity with the laws of Zimbabwe, and in reference to international and regional standards for elections – including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Guidelines and Principles for Democratic Elections and the African Union (AU) Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. The mission’s core team of election analysts began to arrive on April 22, 2018 and will continue to observe the electoral process, including the collation and announcement of results. For the July 30 election, the mission will be supplemented by an additional 26 short-term observers, who will be deployed throughout the country. From June 2-8, IRI and NDI jointly deployed a pre-election assessment mission as part of the longterm observation effort for the upcoming elections. The delegation is comprised of: 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; Barry Jackson, former Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the US House of Representatives; Elizabeth Lewis, IRI Deputy Director for Africa; Sandra Pepera, NDI Director for Gender, Women, and Democracy; Larry Garber, Co-Mission Director, NDI; and Nicolas Teindas, CoMission Director, IRI. The purposes of the pre-election delegation were to: provide an independent and impartial assessment of the election preparations; establish benchmarks in assessing the overall process; offer practical recommendations (as appropriate) to enhance the inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability of the process; and demonstrate the international community’s continuing interest in credible elections in Zimbabwe. At the same time, the delegation recognizes that ultimately it is the people of Zimbabwe who will determine the credibility of the election process. The IRI-NDI delegation met with a wide array of election stakeholders, including the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC), political party leaders, candidates, civil society representatives, leaders of citizen observer groups, the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the Commissioner General of Police, the Senate President, media representatives, political analysts, and representatives of the international 1