and the provision of timely access to the final voters’ register ahead of the polls. The ZEC’s legalistic approach in addressing concerns and political parties’ requests was heavily criticised. As noted below, the well organised process on Election Day itself, including the professional conduct of polling officials, is a testament to the ZEC’s operational preparedness and commendable organisational skills across all ten provinces. However, to foster confidence in the ZEC by citizens, its independence and authority may be further bolstered. The Group notes, for instance, that the guarantee of the ZEC’s independence is rendered uncertain in the light of its dependency, in practice, on the Minister of Justice and financial allocations from the executive. Conclusions: We believe the legal framework provides the ZEC with the flexibility required to build trust in the electoral process. For subsequent elections, we hope the ZEC will take full advantage of this flexibility within the confines of the law. We further recommend a review of the legal framework to tighten the ZEC’s financial and operational independence. The pre-election environment The Group was informed that the nature of the campaign for the 2018 Harmonised Elections was influenced by an improved political climate compared to previous elections, and that the political space had widened. There had also been a marked change in the behaviour of security services, who, in a break from the past, had not placed constraints on the freedoms of association and assembly. The Group commends the decision by all political parties to sign a peace pledge in June, and all stakeholders who initiated and supported this process. Parallel provincial peace pledges were also signed. Except for a report the Group received that one political party had been refused a permit to organise a rally on 24 July, political parties and their supporters appeared to have enjoyed the freedom to campaign. Reports of incidents of covert intimidation of potential voters, attributed to the governing party, were therefore regrettable. We urge the ZEC and the governing party to investigate these claims and to take all necessary measures to ensure such vestiges of previous elections are eliminated in subsequent elections. While inter-party violence had reduced, reports received from civil society groups, later confirmed by the police, showed that intra-party violence rose ahead of these elections. Political parties’ commitment to entrenching the values of democracy in Zimbabwe is undermined if they are unable to practice same within their own processes and structures. The Group urges parties to show leadership in this context. x