Appendix B 74 political choice, particularly given the widespread use of electoral violence as a form of intimidation and retribution in Zimbabwe’s 2008 elections. Inclusive Elections Zimbabwe’s constitution requires inclusive elections, equality of the vote, and full gender equality in all agencies of government. However, there are no similar requirements established for political parties to achieve gender equality. Women comprise 54 percent of the electorate, yet only 18 percent of candidates presented by parties in the 2018 harmonized elections were women. Four of the 23 presidential candidates are women, and some women stood for election as independents. Standing as an independent gains access to the ballot, though raising the resources necessary to campaign is extraordinarily difficult outside of the party contexts. Politically active women, including party activists, presidential, parliamentary and ward-level candidates, faced high levels of abuse and intimidation during the electoral period. In particular, media attacks against female candidates were common. Traditional and social media coverage about women candidates focused on superficial attributes such as appearance, and politically active women were often cast in a biased, derogatory and pejorative manner. For example, the four women presidential candidates received a disproportionate amount of negative press undermining their credibility as viable candidates. The ZEC Chair, who also is a woman, has been similarly targeted with criticisms based on her gender. The Constitution provides that all Zimbabwe citizens have the right to vote. There are approximately three million Zimbabweans living outside the country, many fleeing the harsh conditions of the last 18 years. A petition was filed seeking to allow them to vote in their countries of residence, but the Constitutional Court, on May 29, 2018, denied the petition. Young women and men, particularly those who recently came of age to vote, were the subject of numerous voter education campaigns by the ZEC, civil society, and even some parties. Youth participation in rallies and other campaign events was fairly wide spread and, the notable liberalization of the campaign environment contributed to a high number of youth reporting strong enthusiasm to participate in elections. The Constitution provides that persons with disabilities (PWD) and other persons with special needs must be accommodated so they may fully participate in political life. Though voter education material to accommodate the visually impaired existed, it is unclear whether distribution of materials addressing the needs of blind voters reached its intended beneficiaries. In addition, while many stations featured special voting booths designed to accommodate voters in wheelchairs, many polling centers lacked sufficient ramps for disabled voters and universal access remained a challenge. Election Administration The ZEC has taken a number of steps to open the electoral process, including establishment of Multi-Party Liaison Committees (MPLCs) at the national and provincial levels, early outreach to civil society, and cooperatively facilitating the government’s decision to accredit international election observers from beyond the region for the first time since 2002. In many cases, the regional MPLCs have provided useful forums for party interaction, though the national MPLC was convened by the ZEC on only four occasions with some difficulties. The 4