Recommendations To the Unity Government of Zimbabwe • Fully implement all provisions of the Global Political Agreement to level the political field and create a rights-respecting environment conducive to the holding of credible, free and fair elections; • Repeal or amend all repressive legislation such as the repressive sections of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, the Public Order and Security Act, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act (CPEA). Prohibit use of the Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures) Act to amend laws once elections are called; • Ensure accountability for the perpetrators of past human rights abuses, including by investigating cases of serious abuses and prosecuting those found responsible, and press for appropriate remedies to victims of abuses, including those from the 2008 elections; • Replace all partisan heads of the police and other security forces with new, nonpartisan individuals accountable to independent supervisory boards; members of the security forces implicated in abuses should be held to account, regardless of rank or affiliation; • Direct heads of the police and other security forces to take all necessary measures to ensure that they remain neutral; • Amend the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) mandate to enable it to investigate abuses before February 2009; • Ensure that the Zimbabwe Election Commission is adequately resourced, and has competent, independent and non-partisan secretariat staff; • Put in place legislative and administrative mechanisms to ensure the fulfillment of the right of Zimbabwean citizens living abroad to vote; and • Ensure that the processes relating to the new constitution, including its drafting and the constitutional referendum, are completed and necessary amendments made to various national laws to permit a legislative and administrative framework that would allow credible, free, and fair elections. RACE AGAINST TIME 4