ZESN Report on the 31 July 2013 Harmonised Elections Urban Less than 18 Difference Rural 31 0.00% 328 0.01% 297 +0.01% 18 to 22 30,363 1.95% 110,326 2.56% 79,963 +0.61% 23 to 29 153,011 9.63% 516,789 12.05% 363,778 +2.42% 30 to 39 559,222 34.73% 615,674 28.56% 56,452 -6.71% 40 to 49 452,834 28.07% 414,317 18.58% -38,517 -9.49% 50 to 59 242,740 14.96% 280,860 14.42% 38,120 -0.54% 60 to 69 104,696 6.43% 187,926 9.74% 83,230 -3.31% 70 to 79 43,053 2.64% 105,792 6.61% 62,739 +3.97% 80 or More 26,116 1.60% 319,070 7.47% 292,954 +5.87% While ZEC previously provided periodic updates during the mobile voter registration exercise from 29 April to 19 May 2013, no further information was released to allow independent assessment of the final state of voter registration. This was compounded by the refusal to provide the final voters’ roll used for the 31 July polls in its electronic form. The implementation of the voter registration process was not adjusted in any way, which suggests that ZEC was mindful of the concerns raised about the state of the voters’ roll. Provisions within the Constitution for the possible extension of the voter registration period were not utilized. In the absence of any further information, it would be safe to assume that the final roll, at best continued this unequal and inequitable pattern on access, exclusion, prejudice and disenfranchising urban and youth voters and, as a result, seriously undermines the credibility of the entire electoral process, thereby violating the principle of full participation of citizens in electoral processes and the equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote as expressed in the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. Nomination of Candidates Despite their earlier protestations to the contrary, on 28 June the MDC- T and MDC-N joined ZANU-PF and 17 other parties to field candidates for the presidential, National Assembly and local authority elections. Apart from minor administrative issues, the Nomination Courts proceeded well and at the end of the process there were five presidential candidates and 871 candidates for the National Assembly elections. There were no female presidential candidates, but there were 66 female National Assembly candidates. The candidature of women was prejudiced in all parties because they were told that they need not be candidates as there were 60 seats already allocated for women, which ultimately defeated the intention to increase women’s participation in political processes. The table below shows the nomination requirements of candidates in Zimbabwe. 35 | P a g e