There are competing arguments meant to explain the ‘31 July complex’ but detailed views of local level participants have not been given adequate attention as commentators seek more global explanations. This is the gap this paper covers based on partisan electoral officers, political intimidation and discrimination, multiple and illegal voting, displacement of voters, violence, vote buying and five pathways of undue voter influence. Such an approach is meant to provide empirical evidence on what happened on the Election Day, will add to current efforts to get a more global picture and a solid way-forward for the next electoral cycle. “We also further assert that, with the right advocacy interventions, the past elections can be a learning phase if the experiences of July 2013 are used to start asking strategic questions toward a more democratic election,†says Crisis. We reproduce the report in full below:
1.12.2015
11:09
What happened on Election Day in Zimbabwe?
A new report by Crisis Coalition substantiates the argument that Zimbabwe’s 31 July 2013 harmonized elections were undemocratic. Based on recent empirical evidence from its ethnographic study, the links to Zimbabwe’s chain of democratic choice were broken, says the Coalition, especially the principle of integrity and insulation, particularly on the Election Day.