INTRODUCTION BY ZCBC-CCJPZ BISHOP CHAIRMAN
I am honoured to present to you the CCJPZ 2018
Harmonized Election Report. Using the Constitution of
Zimbabwe Amendment (No.20) act 2013, the
Traditional Leaders Act (Chapter 29:17), the Electoral
Act (Chapter 2:13) and, above all, the Social Teachings
of the Church1 as baselines, this report is based on CCJPZ
consolidated long term and Election Day observation
reports. Soon after 2013 Harmonized Elections, more
than 240 long term observers from Zimbabwe's eight
Catholic Dioceses monitored and documented
occurrences that undermined Social Teachings of the
Church guided by the PESTEL2 tool. They submitted
their bi-monthly situation monitoring reports to CCJP
diocesan offices for consolidation and onward
submission to CCJPZ national coordination office. The
long term reports would be analysed together with
Election Day observation reports produced by the 850
men and women deployed by CCJPZ in hot spot and
marginalized areas 3 to observe Zimbabwe's 2018
Harmonized Elections.
This report is not based on the observations made on the
Election Day only. It takes a holistic approach that
follows the Electoral Cycle.4 Thus means the CCJPZ's
verdict of the 2018 Harmonized Elections is also
Right Rev. Bishop Rudolf Nyandoro
informed by election related processes and occurrences
that happened in the pre and post-election periods. The
choices that voters make on the Election Day are largely influenced by what they would have encountered way
before the day of casting the ballots. What happened soon after 2013 Harmonized Elections, for example,
influenced people's political choices in 2018 Harmonized Elections. If not effectively addressed, what also
happened soon after 2018 Harmonized Elections is also going to influence political choices for 2023 Harmonized
Elections.
An election is not an event! It comprises different processes that should all be carefully scrutinized for an objective
verdict. This report does that. It begins by analysing the context in which the 2018 Harmonized Elections were
held. It shows that as commitment to transparent elections, the government opened up to the international
observers such as the European Union and the Commonwealth. As recommended by various international and
local observers (including CCJPZ) after 2013 Harmonized Elections, there were some improvements in the
administrative and the legal framework on elections. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) assumed full
responsibility of the Voters' Roll, including voter registration previously done by the Registrar General. The
introduction of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR), which was accompanied by some voter education, was a
significant milestone. The report notes the enactment of the Electoral Act as positive although some alignments to
the constitution is necessary.
The report also notes that as compared to previous elections, the pre-election environment was relatively peaceful.
There was recognition by almost all contesting political parties to the 2018 Harmonised Elections that elections
1
Comprises the following biblical values and wisdom that guides humanity in responding to their situations: respect for life and dignity for the human person; call for family, community
and participation; rights and responsibilities; option for the poor and vulnerable; subsidiarity and care for God's creation.
2
PESTEL stands for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal (situation monitoring)
3
Based on the theory of Predictive Societal Indicators of Radicalism Model of Domestic Political Violence Forecast, developed by Sam Bell and Amanda Murdie, hot spots of political
violence are areas that sustain increased political violence that can prevent citizens from freely and independently participating in democratic processes. As for the purpose of this project,
hot spots are areas that were more affected by political violence in 2008 and have continued to sustain a trend of violence, intimidations, threats or assaults after 2008. However, it is not
always the case that remote areas are hot spots of political violence although others are both remote and hot spots.
4
The Electoral Cycle appreciates elections as continuous process rather than isolated events. At the most general level, the Electoral Cycle is divided into three main periods: the preelection period, the electoral period and the post electoral period. The Electoral Cycle has no fixed starting or ending points. This is also true for the three periods and the segments within the
cycle. In theory, it may be said that one cycle ends when another begins. Also see ―Electoral Cycleǁ on aceproject.org/electoral-advice/electoral-assistance accessed on 21 August 2018
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