NORDEM NORDEM, the Norwegian Resource Bank for Democracy and Human Rights, is a civilian capacity provider specialised in human rights and democratisation. NORDEM’s main objective is to enhance the capacity of international organisations working in these fields. NORDEM’s expertise includes good governance, institution building, rule of law, human rights monitoring, elections and other related fields. NORDEM has for two decades provided Norwegian observers to international election observation missions. NORDEM also develops election related trainings and hosts various election management body or parliamentary delegations, mainly from countries in political transition. NORDEM recruits, trains and deploys qualified personnel and is fully funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ISBN 978-82-8158-076-3 The Elections in Zimbabwe on 31 July 2013 A NORDEM SPECIAL REPORT 2014 The Author Kåre Vollan is an independent election expert and the director and owner of the company Quality AS. He has been working on elections in thirty countries and territories including Nepal, Kenya, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, Egypt, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Zimbabwe. He has since 2006 provided advice to the Election Commission and politicians in Nepal, in particular on the group representation system. From 1999 to 2000, Vollan was the Deputy Head of the OSCE mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, organising two elections. In the period from 1996 to 2009 he headed twelve OSCE/ODIHR and NORDEM election observation missions or teams. From 2003 he has issued opinions on election laws for the Council of Europe Venice Commission. Vollan, who is an applied mathematician by profession, has published a number of articles and reports on electoral and decision making issues.