IRI/NDI Zimbabwe International Election Observation Mission Final Report 57 must be established and implemented. The ZEC must be provided with the resources for and be held accountable to establishing an effective Media Monitoring Committee to fairly assess media coverage of political parties and candidates in the election period. The ZEC Media Monitoring Committee, the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) and the BAZ, and self-regulating bodies, such as the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) must exercise their respective authorities to sanction offending media outlets. Within the electoral period and beyond, relevant governing authorities should liberalize the framework for the licensing of radio and television stations, especially licenses for community radio stations by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) while also supporting the capacity development and professionalism of Zimbabwean journalists and editors in objective and investigative reporting. Party Conduct Create an environment in which women can participate equally in the electoral process, without fear of intimidation and harassment. This includes the greater acceptance and promotion of female candidates and in all aspects of governance. Political parties should improve internal democratic structures and rules governing the selection of leaders and candidates, including the conduct of party primaries. Parties should aspire to mainstream women in the party hierarchy and facilitate their recruitment, training, and support as candidates for elected office. Enforce the Electoral Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates. The inclusion of an expanded Code of Conduct was a notable improvement to the Electoral Law under the May 2018 amendments. However, to support a more level playing field for political aspirants and an environment where citizens are free to vote without undue influence or coercion, enforcement of the Code of Conduct is essential. Institutionalize MPLCs as forums for dialogue and dispute resolution among and between political parties and the ZEC. MPLCs should provide political parties with the opportunity to raise concerns and for the ZEC to offer clear direction for redressing concerns at the national and local levels. Given the importance of MPLCs as a forum for dialogue and as a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)—which can be essential to reducing conflict and defusing tension—it is important to clarify and expand within the law a specific timeline for MPLCs to regularly meet. Officials with the authority to make decisions, such as the ZEC chairperson and the commissionergeneral of the police, should attend the MPLC meetings to hear the parties’ concerns, expedite resolution for any issues raised, and increase trust in both the MPLC as an important tool to prevent conflict and as a means of including all parties in the electoral process. Build capacity of political parties to institutionalize processes for monitoring elections. Ensure the effective recruitment and training of party agents with emphasis on developing mechanisms for the conduct of effective parallel vote tabulations and the party agent’s role in obtaining copies of tally sheets following the completion of the counting process at polling stations. Build capacity of political parties to effectively compete in elections and participate in governance processes. Build the capacity of political party leaders in the areas of campaign techniques, data analysis and planning, internal democracy, constituent engagement, and policy development (including the role of opposition parties in governance) while broadening parties’ knowledge of electoral rules and rights to ensure that political parties, both ruling and opposition, fulfill their roles as democratic institutions.