ZESN Report on the 31 July 2013 Harmonised Elections Political Environment The political environment was an important factor as the spectre of violence that took place during the 2008 presidential election run-off was ever present. The Organ of National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration (ONHRI), which was mandated to establish a mechanism for national healing, cohesion and unity and laying the foundation for a society characterized by mutual respect, tolerance, and development, failed to provide these mechanisms. There were no mechanisms for truth telling and reparation; hence the culture of impunity was not addressed. In addition, the focus on physical violence during this election did not take into account intimidation and harassment that was non-physical. The assessment of the 2013 elections by international election observers was based solely on the low incidence of violence throughout the election period. The long-term psychological impact of the type of violence that characterized the 2008 presidential election run-off campaign with no recognition or meaningful reconciliation cannot be quantified, particularly when the threats to the victims have continued throughout the lifetime of the GNU and this electoral cycle. Thus the lack of evaluation by any of the regional observer groups as to the effectiveness of the mechanisms established within the Global Political Agreement to address fear, intimidation and violence is problematic. There were also increased political party activities, with reports of more than 28 registered political parties in Zimbabwe planning to contest the elections. However, on 31 May, in response to a petition filed by Jealousy Mawarire, for an election on 29 June, the Constitutional Court ruled that 29 June was too early, but that elections must be held by 31 July 2013. This was untenable given the stalled reforms and the lack of funding and time needed for election preparations. For example, the time from the date of the ruling to the 31 July was insufficient for the conduct of the constitutionally mandated 30 days of voter registration, the sitting of the Nomination Courts and a 30-day electoral campaign period. In response to these challenges created by the court ruling, cabinet accelerated discussion on the necessary changes needed to the electoral law in order to align it to the new Constitution. In particular it set out to define the exact system of proportional representation that would be used to allocate the women’s seats, the Senate and the provincial councils. On 13 June the President proclaimed 31 July 2013 as the date for the harmonised elections and used his Presidential Powers to amend the electoral law without going to Parliament. The President claimed to have used his Presidential Powers to amend the Act because it was inexpedient to await the amendment of the Electoral Act through Parliament and still be able to abide by the Constitutional Court judgment. Predictably, there was an outcry from coalition members and some observers. 27 | P a g e