8 amendments to electoral regulations, a well as administrative omissions and problems experienced during the pre, during and post election periods, amongst others. In most instances the Electoral Act favours the involvement of political parties contesting the elections in all aspects of the election process in order to encourage consensus about the ‘rules of game’ and where this is unable to be reached to facilitate a dialogue about how best the electoral legislation and regulations can be applied. These structures provide avenues of communication between the political parties, the EMB and where necessary and appropriate representatives from government, the security forces and other stakeholders involved in ensuring that the elections will be conducted as freely and fairly as possible without threat. The Electoral Code of Conduct The ability to campaign without fear of violence is a basic political right that requires vigilance and commitment on the part of the parties, their supporters, the security forces and the EMB. The development of a Code of Conduct, ideally, one that is part of the electoral act, is one means of contributing to the development of free and fair electoral practices. This code of conduct may prohibit and prescribe certain forms of behaviour on the part of government, the EMB, political parties, their supporters and the media. For example, the 1998 Electoral Act in South Africa recognises the desirability of involving political parties in the electoral process and the activities of political parties in this regard are regulated by the Act. Registered parties are subject to an Electoral Code of Conduct designed to regulate their behaviour throughout the election period. In another example, the National Electoral Commission in Tanzania also has a code of conduct for political parties, which was first institutionalised in advance of the 1995 general elections, but the political parties rejected it. The Tanzanian Code of Conduct has many provisions similar to those in South Africa's 1998 Electoral Act but it also included a Code of Conduct for both government and the EMB. For example, the EMB was bound to ensure that the election results were declared as promptly as possible. Conflict Management Committees (CMCs)