Chapter 3 ELECTORAL FRAMEWORK AND ELECTION ADMINISTRATION Background On 30 July 2018, Zimbabwe held tripartite elections, with the electorate simultaneously voting for presidential, parliamentary and local authority candidates. Zimbabwe’s electoral framework combines the ‘first-past-the-post’ (FPTP) and proportional representation (PR) systems. Zimbabwe’s administrative structure consists of 10 provinces, divided into 210 constituencies and 1,958 wards. The President is elected to a term of office of five years, without restriction on the number of terms one can serve. According to the Constitution, for a candidate to be successful they must secure 50 per cent plus one of the votes cast. If no candidate secures that majority, then the two leading candidates contest in a runoff. In Zimbabwe, legislative powers are vested in a bi-cameral Parliament, which comprises the Senate and the National Assembly. The Senate consists of 80 senators, of whom 6 are elected from each of the 10 provinces by a system of proportional representation, using a party-list system. The party-list is a ‘zebra’ list, which starts with a female candidate to be followed by a male candidate and alternating thereafter. Additionally, within the Senate, the remaining 20 seats are filled as follows: there are 16 traditional chiefs, two having been elected by the Provincial Assembly of Chiefs from each of the eight provinces other than the metropolitan provinces; there is then the President and Deputy President of the National Council of Chiefs; and finally, two are elected in the manner prescribed in the Electoral Act to represent persons with disabilities. The COG did not observe these elections which took place prior to the mission. The National Assembly consists of 210 members directly elected by secret ballot from the 210 constituencies into which Zimbabwe is divided. Additionally, for the life of the first two parliaments following the enactment of the 2013 Constitution, 60 women members (six from each of the 10 provinces) are elected through a system of proportional representation based on the total number of votes cast for candidates representing political parties in a general election for constituency members in the provinces.2 Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected to serve a fiveyear term, but without restrictions on the number of terms an MP can serve. 2 Pursuant to Section 124(1)(b) of the Constitution, for elections subsequent to the 2018 elections there will no longer be an additional 60 seats reserved for women. 12