ZIMBABWE ELECTION SUPPORT NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT 2010 Minimum conditions for free and fair elections ZESN developed a set of key demands or minimum conditions for free and fair elections, for use as an advocacy tool. These are: 1. A Conducive Political and legal environment 2. An accurate and complete voters' roll 3. The Reform of ZEC, Electoral Act and full resourcing of ZEC 4. Early deployment of local, regional and international observers 5. Freedom of the Media Consultative Meeting On the 1st of December 2010 the department conducted a consultative meeting with civil society organizations, at the Crowne Plaza, Hotel. The workshop was a pre-dissemination meeting of a study conducted by ZESN on the voters' roll. Position Papers ZESN produced four position papers during the course of the year. These were distributed widely to policy makers, government officials and stakeholders. The four position papers were on the following topics: • Zimbabwe's Preparedness for elections; • The Case for External Voting in Zimbabwe: Policy Reform for External Voting for Zimbabweans Resident Abroad; • An Analysis of the Referendum Act: Chapter 2:10; and • Minimum Conditions for Free and Fair Elections. guard their security. Some rural areas were inaccessible due to the appalling state of the roads. The Public Order Security Act (POSA) hampered activities and was used in some instances to thwart ZESN's activities. ZESN on a number of occasions was instructed to obtain clearance from the Provincial Administrator or District Administrator. Some political party agents at times banned ZESN from conducting its activities. Lessons Learnt ZESN noted that there is more impact if the organisation works and collaborates with other institutions. The organisation has also noted the need to continue engagement with Members of Parliament as the key proponents of reform in the country. There is need to target more communities, especially the special needs groups who are often marginalized. Impact The public meetings proved to be very effective. The questions and responses coming from the floor showed that the citizens were hungry for information. People argued that they did not even know that voting had a system and that electoral systems produce different results. Everywhere participants called for more public meetings. They urged ZESN to make sure that every Zimbabwean gets the knowledge before the constitution making process. The voters' roll audit report was effective. ZESN was able to conduct consultative meetings with Members of Parliament and with the ZEC. Lobbying Meetings During the course of the year ZESN conducted local and regional lobbying meetings. The purpose of the advocacy meetings was to lobby for electoral reforms. Some of these lobbying meetings were held along the sidelines of other meetings and workshops. ZESN also managed to send a delegation to Namibia to lobby for free and fair elections. They were able to meet representatives from other civic society organizations. ZESN also participated in the Roundtable on Zimbabwe and at the end of the Summit was able to come up with a communiqué. Conclusion The year 2010, though turbulent and challenging, saw ZESN making inroads in certain areas and also forming new partnerships. The highlight of the year was the Voters' Roll Observation Research which assessed currency, accuracy and completeness of the voters' roll. In 2011 ZESN through the Research and Advocacy programme hopes to intensify lobbying for a conducive environment for credible elections. Achievements The securing of the voters' roll for all the 10 provinces was an achievement. The successful completion of the voters roll audit was a major success given the unpredictable political landscape. Challenges During the voter's roll audit some of the respondents were not willing to produce their identity documents in order to safe 15 Voters’ Roll Observation Report Produced by ZESN in 2010 PROMOTING DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN ZIMBABWE