This briefing paper describes the pre-election environment in Zimbabwe
and concludes it is not possible to hold free and fair elections under the
prevailing conditions.
1.
Ingredients for a free and fair election
An election is a process, not an event. For an election to be free and fair the
entire process must be free and fair. The electoral process includes the preelection period, polling day, counting of ballots, announcement of the results and
acceptance thereof as well as the post-electoral period.
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All eligible persons wishing to register as voters must be permitted
to do so.
In the lead-up to an election political parties contesting the election
must be able to campaign freely.
Voters must be able to attend whatever political rallies they wish.
The public media should be obliged to provide voters with balanced
and accurate information about the political contestants in the
election and all - important information about the electoral
processes.
No political party should be permitted to use violence and
intimidation to force voters to vote for them against their will.
Voters must be assured that they will not face persecution before or
after they vote because of their electoral preference.
The police force must impartially enforce electoral laws and provide
protection against political intimidation.
The body responsible for running the election must be independent
and impartial and must do its utmost to ensure that the voting and
counting processes are scrupulously fair and honest so that the
outcome of the election will accurately reflect the preferences of the
electorate.
All voters who wish to vote in an election must be given a fair
opportunity to do so.
Foreign and local observers of the elections should be encouraged
as their presence helps to reassure voters and enhance the
legitimacy of the electoral process.
The ruling party must not be permitted to use State rather than
party resources to gain an unfair advantage in the election.
The military must accept the democratic outcome of the election.
All parties, observers and monitors must agree that the following features
concerned with the integrity of the election can be verified before the result can
be confirmed:
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