1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On the 19th of December 2015, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) at the invitation of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) observed parliamentary by-election in Nkulumane Constituency. The seat fell vacant following the death on 5 October, 2015 of the Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC-T) incumbent for Nkulumane constituency Honorable ThamsanqaMahlangu. ZESN deployed 14 observers comprising static (polling station based observers), constituency and mobile observers to measure compliance with regards to the Constitution and electoral laws as well as to identify gaps in the electoral practice to enable informed advocacy interventions for electoral reforms. Media monitoring on reports of campaigns and other key electoral processes was done in the pre-election period in order to enrich the overall observation of the by-election. The political environment remains heavily polarised but calm with no observable forms of intimidation and physical threats to the electorate other than defacing of contesting candidates’ and voter education posters. Citizens expressed discontent with their inability to recall non-performing Members of Parliament once voted into Parliament, hence some citizens thought it better not to participate in the by-elections altogether1. ZESN reiterates calls for comprehensive electoral and political reforms to ensure that political leaders remain accountable to those that elect them. The pre-electoral environment was characterized by peaceful campaigns by the three political parties. The parties utilised campaign platforms such as door to door meetings with the electorate, putting up of posters, and distribution of flyers with campaign messages. Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU- PF) held at least one rally when the party launched its campaign to introduce their party’s candidate. Opposition parties like Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZAPU-PF) and all MDC formations did not participate in the by-elections in protest to the slow pace of electoral reforms and alignment of electoral laws to the Constitution. These sentiments are expressed in MDC formations’ “No Reforms, No Elections” campaign. ZESN collaborated with ZEC in conducting voter education for voter registration and voter education for polling in Nkulumane’s wards 20, 22, and 23 respectively. The Commission’s voter education program, which ZESN contributed to, seems to have paid dividends in view of the reduced number of assisted and turned away voters that were observed during the by-election. Polling station based voter registration and inspection was peaceful. However high levels of apathy were noted as evidenced by the fact that only 13,331 registrants turned up to 1Feedback received by ZESN voter educators from citizens in Nkulumane during the 2015 voter education exercise. 5|Page