38 IRI/NDI Zimbabwe International Election Observation Mission Final Report Security Sector Section 207 of the 2013 Constitution defines four key security institutions: the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP); the Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF); the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services; and the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO). The Constitution stipulates that the military must be apolitical, yet ZDF generals have historically played a controversial role in electoral politics. In the context of past elections, which were marred by election-related violence and widespread intimidation, serious concerns still exist about the role of the military in Zimbabwean politics. While law provides for a role of the ZRP in the electoral process,51 in previous elections, security force involvement included ZDF soldiers campaigning for ZANU-PF in rural areas, partisan regulation of campaign events by the police and CIO, and even the abduction or murder of known opposition figures.52 In particular, the CIO has been identified by a number of human rights organizations as a main perpetrator of state-sponsored violence and associated human rights abuses during the 2000, 2002, 2008, and 2013 elections.53 Notably, the CIO plays an ancillary role in elections administration. The Electoral Act mentions the CIO’s involvement through seconding one representative to the 10-member observer accreditation committee (OAC), whose mandate is to recommend accreditation for election observers to the ZEC. CIO involvement and the significant number of former military personnel serving in ZEC management positions ultimately undermines trust in the ZEC as a fully autonomous and independent institution. While stakeholders recognized improved conduct by members of the security services in the preelection period, including restraint and impartiality during political campaigning, ZIEOM observers noted that during the pre- and post-election period, a vast number of citizens reported that they felt intimidated (particularly those known or suspected to be opposition supporters) by the assumed presence of members of the CIO who usually operated in civilian clothes. Widespread reports of intimidation and coercion by plain-clothes security forces undermined citizens’ ability to cast their vote secretly and freely. 51 As prescribed in the Electoral Act, the ZRP plays a prominent role in maintaining the peace during voter education, voter registration, polling, and results transmission procedures. The same law allows police officers to be inside polling stations, but prohibits them from involvement in the actual administration of voting processes. The police are also responsible for the safekeeping of ballot materials and voting returns until election dispute resolution processes are completed. 52 McGreal, Chris. “This Is No Election in Zimbabwe. This Is a Brutal War.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, June 21, 2008, www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jun/22/zimbabwe1. 53 The Elephant in the Room Reforming Zimbabwe’s Security Sector Ahead of Elections. Human Rights Watch, 2013, www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/zimbabwe0613webwcover_0.pdf.