Background
Zimbabwe has held a series of disputed elections since 2000 with the outcomes triggering a national crisis at some historical juncture. At the centre of the electoral disputes have been the professionalism, impartiality and competence of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). Ideally, for elections to be considered democratic, Election Management Bodies (EMBs) must be seen to autonomously uphold and enforce rules and procedures fairly. Thus rules, regulations and procedures must be easily accessible, enforceable, be adhered to in the whole election process without exception.1 Those in charge of management of elections must demonstrate that they equally treat the contesting candidates and their supporters. Democratic elections should therefore take place within the confines of an autonomous, non-partisan and independent EMB that enjoy the confidence of the citizenry and the contesting parties.2 Given this realisation ZEC was given a new mandate by the Zimbabwe Constitution to prepare for, conduct and supervise elections to ensure they are free, efficient, fair and transparent.3 The new legal mandate bestowed on ZEC provides an opportunity to ensure Zimbabwe hold credible elections that are accepted by winners and losers……
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