POLICY IMPLICATIONS Government should join non-governmental organisations in educating the electorate to elect people on merit to improve service delivery and representation of the electorate. Government should provide and guarantee a peaceful and secure electoral environment and deal with electoral violence fairly and expeditiously. Protection should also be provided for women to even out the electoral playing field which is unevenly tilted in favour of men. The government, in collaboration with NGO's, needs to undertake extensive mobilisation of the populace around the constitution, explaining its provisions and its relationship to existing laws and policies in Zimbabwe. The government, together with non-governmental organisations, must channel resources towards public education on the importance of active participation by women in politics and attaining gender equality in Zimbabwe. Women in politics and civil society must actively participate in electoral education to promote women's electoral participation and achieve gender equality. The gender balance policy in the House of Assembly in Sections 120 and 124 is inadequate for attaining the 50/50 gender balance as required the constitution, SADC Gender Protocol, the AU Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women and the Beijing Action Plan. It must be revisited and more inclusive measures to attain gender equality in the House of Assembly. Such measures could include increasing the reserved seats for women in the National Assembly so that there is better gender balance between the first-past-the-post seats and the proportional representation seats. The press should be enjoined, through consumer and watchdog organisations such as the Voluntary Media Council and other bodies, to provide balanced reporting of all political parties and candidates without demanding bribes or other benefits. [ 5 [