Zec needs $274m for polls

Farirai Machivenyika, Harare Bureau
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) needs $274 million to successfully conduct the 2018 harmonised elections.

Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau revealed this yesterday in a document she presented to the Portfolio Committee on Gender and Community Development.

The electoral body appeared before the committee to brief them on their preparedness to hold next year’s elections, legal issues to ensure political parties adhere to constitutional provisions on gender equality and measures to protect women and children against political violence.

“The responsibility of the funding for the whole electoral process lies with the Government of Zimbabwe. A consolidated budget requirement has since been submitted to Treasury for funding in the sum of $274 million. Zec is confident that Treasury will avail the funding as it has funded all the past by-elections and the acquisition of the BVR kits. This is the funding that will enable Zec to procure all election material necessary and to pay all allowances necessary to ensure not only a successful vote registration exercise but a free and fair election in 2018,” she said.

Turning to the issue of gender equality Justice Makarau said that they had no authority to meddle in political parties internal affairs.

“As an elections management body we have no legal mandate to delve into the internal affairs of political parties and tell them how to structure themselves. We cannot compel parties to field women candidates. We cannot dictate who their candidates will be,” she said.

Justice Makarau however, said as Zec they were working with various development partners to encourage women participation in politics.

The Zec chairperson also said they would embark of a countrywide voter education campaign ahead of registration that should be done before the end of the year.

She also said draft voter registration regulations were now with the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and would be gazetted in the coming two weeks.