15 Figure 5. Gender-based Violence: Comparison of reported perpetrators Percentage of constituencies 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% ZanuPF MDC Civic ZRP ZNA CIO Youth Other Perpetrator Overall, the NCA would wish the comment here that the reports received for February 2005 do not suggest that the rule of law is being applied in an even-handed fashion. There is a pressing need not merely for rhetoric from all the statutory authorities: even though violence is greatly reduced from previous elections and from previous months, the election climate is far from free, and here one aspect that causes concern is the frequent report of partisan behaviour on the part of the police and the security agencies. This must be addressed with extreme urgency. Voter Education The NCA has already drawn attention to the flawed constitutional and legal framework governing these elections. The election climate reporting system was not designed to illuminate these shortcomings, but rather to draw attention to the effects that these shortcomings might have upon ordinary citizens’ participation in the forthcoming elections. However, the issue of voter education does seem to illustrate directly the consequences of the legal shortcomings. Since the electoral laws and regulations forbid civic organizations from undertaking voter education outside the direction of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, it is clearly incumbent on this body to ensure that voter education takes place. However, the reports from the community monitors suggests that very little voter education is actually taking place, and, of the voter education that is happening, only a very small proportion is taking place under the auspices of the Commission. Only 25% of the constituencies report any form of voter education taking place. As is seen from Table 16 [see over], most voter education is being done by the political parties, and the Commission is providing little more than those civic organizations still willing to brave the dual handicaps of the electoral laws and the threat of the Non-Governmental Organizations Act. National Constitutional Assembly: Election Climate Reports.