candidate” and requires that “each political party and independent candidate is allowed a reasonable opportunity to present a case through the broadcasting service concerned.”93 Additionally, all broadcasters or print publishers “shall offer the same terms and conditions of publication, without discrimination, to all the political parties and candidates contesting the election.” Despite these comprehensive provisions, political coverage on the state-funded Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) radio and ZBC television (ZTV) is imbalanced both quantitatively and qualitatively. It is dominated by coverage of ZANU-PF rallies and election campaigns. For example, the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ), an independent nongovernmental body that monitors the state of the media in Zimbabwe, found that in the week between February 14 and 21, 2008, of the 93 news reports ZTV carried on political campaigns and rallies, 72 were on the ruling party, seven on the MDC, 11 on presidential candidate Simba Makoni, and three on other parties.94 Between February 5 and 29 ZTV accorded a total of three hours and 36 minutes to ZANU-PF’s electoral activities in its main news bulletins; in contrast, just nine minutes were allocated to the two MDC factions, 26 minutes to Simba Makoni, and other political parties got four minutes.95 According to MMPZ, ZBC radio stations followed a similar pattern: SPOT FM devoted 50 stories to ZANU PF and only two reports on the MDC’s activities, while Radio Zimbabwe carried 68 stories on ZANU PF while only three reports were on the MDC.96 ZANU-PF’s monopoly of the state media is not only incompatible with Zimbabwe’s laws, but also the SADC Principles and Guidelines, which call for “equal opportunity for all political parties to access the state media,” during the campaigning period.97 On March 7, 2008, the government gazetted the ZEC (Media Coverage of Elections) Regulations which address the content of election broadcasts by the ZBC and the duration of broadcasting election events, and ensure that there is equitable 93 Electoral Laws Amendment Act, 2007, clause 12. 94 Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ), “Weekly Media Update,” February 21, 2008. 95 MMPZ presentation to the Diplomatic Community attended by Human Rights Watch, Harare, March 12, 2008. 96 Ibid. 97 SADC Principles and Guidelines, section 2.1.5. All Over Again 34