22 IRI/NDI Zimbabwe International Election Observation Mission Final Report made behind closed doors, with limited effort to build consensus among the political parties and interested CSOs. The opposition parties complained repeatedly and vociferously about the lack of consultation of the parties by the ZEC, which the parties claimed undermined confidence in ZEC’s role as an independent arbiter. On July 11, following a large rally in Harare, the MDC Alliance submitted a petition to the ZEC cataloguing many of its concerns. One of its chief concerns was the lack of consultation with the parties regarding the design of the presidential ballot and the lack of meaningful observation of ballot production, storage, and transportation processes. The MDC Alliance never received a formal response to the petition, nor was it satisfied that the issues raised were adequately resolved. The ZEC regulations specify that the names on the presidential ballot should be arranged alphabetically and the names should appear in a single column.15 However, as printed, the presidential ballot included 14 of the 23 candidates’ names in one column and nine names in a second column, starting with Mnangagwa. The ZEC explanation for the ballot design was that a ballot with all 23 names in one column was unwieldy and expensive, that 14 names were all that could fit in one column and that it was just coincidence that Mnangagwa was the 15th name in alphabetic order. The ZEC has the legal responsibility to design and procure the ballots, however, its decision to arrange the presidential ballot in two columns with Mnangagwa, the incumbent president, at the top of the second column was highly controversial. Moreover, the fact that there was no public discussion fueled suspicions that the lopsided ballot design represented an attempt to provide a clear advantage to the incumbent. The observation of the ballot printing process was also highly contentious. Though the 15 Electoral Act [Chapter 2:13]; s. 7(2) Inventory check and sorting of ballots by ward, Bulawayo Province Photo by Sonia Mickevicius