Voters Roll Audit Report 2018

The ZESN conducted an audit of the 2018 Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) voters’ rolls. The audit was conducted to provide independent non-partisan information on the quality of the 2018 PVR and the 2018 FVR to all stakeholders, including: the ZEC, political parties, civic organizations, and citizens. The methodology of the voters’ roll audit encompassed conducting computer audits, people-to-list and list-to-people field tests. ZESN examined accuracy, currency and completeness of the voters’ rolls provided…more

ZESN LTO Update No.2 on the Mutoko North By-Election

Introduction

This report presents an update of the political environment and electoral processes ahead of the Mutoko North Constituency and the Chegutu Rural District Council (RDC) by-elections. A vacancy in Chegutu RDC, Ward 16 occurred following the death, on 10 September 2018, of the ZANU-PF councilor, Silas Chikati, who had been declared duly elected in the 30 July harmonized elections. According to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) electoral roadmap for the by-election, in line with the Electoral Act, on 21 September 2018, the Chief Executive Officer of Chegutu RDC notified the Chief Elections Officer of the vacancy…more

A comparative Analysis of the Mutoko North Constituency Voters Roll

The Mutoko North Constituency by-election will be held on the 24th of November 2018.  As part of its oversight role on electoral processes and elections, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), conducted a computer audit of the Mutoko North Constituency voters roll, to provide an independent assessment of the quality of the register. The audit encompassed assessing accuracy, currency/ validity and comprehensiveness / completeness of the voters roll.  This report thus presents the outcome of the computer audit. A number of tests were conducted in accordance with an established methodology…more

Report on the ZESN, Audit of the Voters’ Roll

The ZESN conducted an audit of the 2018 Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) voters’ rolls. The audit was conducted to provide independent non-partisan information on the quality of the 2018 PVR and the 2018 FVR to all stakeholders, including: the ZEC, political parties, civic organizations, and citizens. The methodology of the voters’ roll audit encompassed conducting computer audits, people-to-list and list-to-people field tests…more

ZESN Report on Citizen Perceptions on Delimitation of Electoral boundaries in Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) is pleased to publish its research report on the Delimitation of Electoral Boundaries. The report is a culmination of research conducted by ZESN over a period of 3 months. The report reviews the legal framework for delimitation, the public’s understanding of the issues on boundaries delimitation and their expectation from the various actors on the issues of boundaries’ delimitation in Zimbabwe. The report also provides sentiments and expectations from citizens on the delimitation process. A case study focusing on Kenya is contained in the report from which Zimbabwe can draw lessons from…more

ZESN Position Paper on the Participation of People with Disabilities in Elections

In conformity with the major objective of ZESN, which is to promote democratic processes in general and free and fair elections in particular in Zimbabwe, this paper is meant to propose measures to facilitate the participation of people with disabilities in elections as voters as well as candidates for elective office and also as polling officials, election observers, party agents, media monitors and other election related duties…more

ZESN Position Paper on Youth Participation in Elections and Governace Processes in Zimbabwe

Young people in Zimbabwe constitutes 67.7 percent (%) of the total population; their effective participation in electoral and governance processes remains a cornerstone to achieve sustainable inclusivity and enhanced civic engagement in politics. Young people around the world have suddenly realized their competitive advantage in changing the development of their nations, and this has been evident through the upsurge in street protests, and the use of online social platforms to connect, express their voices and campaign for change…more

ZESN Position Paper on Mechanisms to Increase the Representation of Women in Elections and Governance in Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) notes that women in Zimbabwe continue to suffer from historical marginalisation and structural inequalities that exist in all spheres of life, including the governance arena. Even though some progress has been made in legislating the participation of women in elections and decision-making in Zimbabwe, including adopting a quota system in parliament, women’s participation in government at all levels, from the local to the national, remains extremely low and in some cases, has regressed…more

ZESN Position Paper on Election Dispute Resolution

This paper on Election Dispute Resolution (EDR) departs from the point that the electoral competition is often accompanied by disputes and tensions as political parties and candidates jostle for power. The subject of the paper, Zimbabwe has been experiencing election disputes and election-related conflicts especially since the emergence of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in the late 1990s.  The antagonistic relationship between the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) and the MDC have extremely polarised the country with ripple effects on the electoral processes. The paper shows that the disputes and tensions arising from electoral competition must be managed so that they do not become either a source of violent conflict or escalators of an existing conflict…more