What activities did ZESN conduct during the last election in Zimbabwe?
R: In the 2008 election we went beyond general observation. Most election observation groups do “parallel vote tabulation *”, but for Zimbabwe we decided on doing “sample-based observation”. Sample-based observation works in the following way: statistically based, a sample of polling stations is chosen and an observation team is deployed. As soon as the results are counted at the polling station, they are transmitted to the main communication center, where they are tallied and the projection is calculated, taking into consideration the margin of errors, confidence levels, and so forth. In addition to using this method, we had ten thousand observers at nine-thousand polling stations all over the country so we were physically present in almost all polling stations. This alone built confidence in the Zimbabweans, even in terms of our projection. After we released the results of our projection, the Electoral Commission could not release results for a month. Finally, when the results were r
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