h) The Role of Other Independent Commissions Supporting Democracy Other Independent Commissions supporting democracy, such as the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) and the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC), played a pivotal role during the period of the 2018 harmonised elections. The ZHRC, continuously monitored the environment and deployed observers from the 23rd of July to the 6th of August 20188. The ZHRC deployed 23 observers to all 10 provinces of Zimbabwe. The NPRC was instrumental in convening the signing of the National Peace Pledge for the 23 contesting presidential candidates as a commitment to peaceful elections. Presidential candidates or their representatives from 22 political parties signed the Peace Pledge in Harare on Tuesday 26 June and 29 June9. i) Role of civil society Civil society organisations played a crucial role prior and during the 2018 harmonised. CSOs conducted voter education; observed electoral processes and the elections; mobilized citizens to register and participate peacefully in elections; raised awareness on the electoral processes and provided civic education; monitoring of human rights abuses. CSOs were also involved in advocacy initiatives to promote credible elections. The Mission was able to meet CSOs representatives from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), and the Youth Empowerment Transformation Trust (YETT). The representatives from CSOs provided perspectives on the legal framework for elections; political environment; role of the youth; and the preparedness of the ZEC. j) The Role of Religious Leaders The role of religious leaders in Zimbabwe has been crucial in maintaining peace and stability in the country. The call for peace throughout the electoral process contributed to the conducive environment that Zimbabweans enjoyed during the run up to the elections. Religious leaders have created platforms for engagement with the country’s leadership and political parties to have dialogue to resolve disputes. The Union for Development of the Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe (UDACIZA) established Peace Committees which encourages church leaders to conduct sermons of peace and aid the Zimbabwean Peace process. The Peace Committees cut across provinces so as to cover a greater part of the nation. They also established youth committees for the youth to target issues around promotion of peace. Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) contributed immensely through establishment of “monitoring personnel”. The Monitoring personnel were deployed in areas with a known history of violence for detection and reporting. They also contributed towards peace building amongst church members, so that peace prevails between Protestants and church leaders. Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ) came up with a discourse of thinking theology project and established a radio dialogue slot to engage the nation at large on matters 8 9 http://www.zhrc.org.zw/zimbabwe-human-rights-commission-zhrc-deploys-election-monitors-countrywide/ http://buildingblocks4peace.nprc.org.zw/peacepledge 17