ZESN Report on the 31 July 2013 Harmonised Elections applicant. ZEC needs to have the main voters roll available so as to cross out names of people who would have voted during the special vote.  A polarised media gives rise to differences in  the interpretation of electoral outcomes and raises subjective debates on the freeness, fairness and credibility of elections. This could lead to violence and chaos.   The media needs to be reformed to ensure a greater diversity of news sources reaching all corners of the country and a professional national public broadcaster untainted by bias. ZEC must publicly condemn hate language (punitive measures against offenders) Enforcement of the media regulations as mandated by the Electoral laws must be prioritized.  Impartiality by constitutional bodies (ZEC  included) the judiciary and state institutions, especially the security sector and traditional leaders, can be a mirage if appointment to  such bodies and institutions is politically driven. The role of traditional leaders needs to be revisited to ensure that they are impartial and that they maintain inclusivity in their respective jurisdictions. The role of the security sector should be that of ensuring law and order and not interference in the electoral processes.  Electoral bodies and not political parties  with a vested interest in contesting the elections are the appropriate managers of election processes and their timelines The election date for general elections must be constitutionally enshrined to allow better organisation by the election management body to avoid the disarray in preparations due to the delayed announcement of an election date.  Insufficient funding of several of the  electoral processes, in particular the registration of voters and inspection of the voters’ roll, impacted on the overall credibility of the polls and led to the disenfranchisement of potential voters. ZEC must be adequately funded to carry out an inclusive voter registration exercise and comprehensive inspection of the voters’ roll by the electorate.  Imposition of candidates by political parties  resulted in intra-party violence and the violation of the rights of those aspiring to be voted into political office. Political parties must put in place measures to promote intra-party democracy at all levels.  The participation of women, minorities and  special groups in electoral processes is still below expected levels, as only 44 women candidates participated in the plebiscite. The quota system appears to have Political parties must adhere to international and regional standards calling upon women representation and participation at 50 per cent (e.g. the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development) 76 | P a g e