SECTION III: ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN AND THE SITUATION ANALYSIS 3. The Political Environment Zimbabwe is a constitutional democracy with the right to vote and the right to be voted for enshrined and guaranteed in the constitution. Freedoms of assembly, participation, information and assembly are enshrined within the constitution. The country has just transitioned from one head of state to another. Amidst a wait and see approach, there is some expectation that the change in leadership may take some important steps to strengthen civil liberties and democracy. Nonetheless, a number of democratic development challenges still remain a cause of concern and these include: limited government responsiveness as well as limited confidence in government institutions; weak accountability and transparency; low citizen knowledge of their governing institutions; slow implementation of the devolution process; little productive interaction between elected officials and citizens; and the need for greater respect for human rights. The political environment in Zimbabwe remains fluid and unpredictable. Lessons learnt from review of past election have concluded that the current political environment may not give rise to a credible election. The retention and gaining of power has dominated the political landscape in the country taking focus away from the more pertinent developmental issues. Some of the elections held in Zimbabwe have been heavily contested and characterized by violence. For example, the ZHRC reported on the parliamentary by-elections held in Hurungwe West Constituency in June 2015, the Norton Constituency in October 2016 and Bikita West Constituency in January 2017. It observed that acts of violence and intimidation of voters and opposition candidates and supporters occurred before polling day in all these by-elections.8 Harassment and/or intimidation during election periods impact on a range of rights such as the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly and also the right to participate in public life. Not only have past elections been characterised by some level of violence but also by unequal playing field and selective application of laws. Laws have been crafted that do not mirror international and regional standards governing the conduct of elections. The political environment remains polarised despite the events that led to the change in the head of state. The agenda for deepening and consolidation of democracy has been set as a result and the Commission should define its space and contribution within the new dispensation to usher a political culture that allows for full and equal participation by all citizens in electoral processes. In periods of transition, human rights institutions, such as the ZHRC, have a unique opening for effective action to ensure free, fair and democratic elections. The agenda is no longer about holding regular elections in line with the constitutional provisions but to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible as a result of the full and unfettered enjoyment of human rights. 3.1. The Economic Environment The economic fortunes of the country have drastically plummeted since the 2013 elections. Currently, the economic landscape is characterized by instability and volatility, both of which are hallmarks of excessive government interference and mismanagement of the economy. As a result, the country experienced ten consecutive years of contraction and had one of the worst cases of hyperinflation of all time which resulted in the suspension of the national currency the Zimbabwe dollar. Massive corruption, unemployment and disastrous economic policies have plunged the country into poverty. The introduction of a surrogate currency, (bond notes), to ease illiquidity has failed to bear any fruits with queues for cash at various banks returning and unfortunately becoming the order of the day. The informal sector and diaspora remittances have again taken centre stage in keeping the families and driving the national economy. The economic meltdown has meant that levels of poverty, marginalisation, human rights violations have increased. It has also meant that resources allocated to institutions such as the ZHRC have declined affecting its operations 8 ZHRC bi-election reports, Hurungwe, Norton and Bikita West 10 | P a g e