Zim to beg for poll funds - $192m required
2013-01-30 10:36
Special Report
Zimbabwe's Zanu-PF party is mulling over a special congress at which top vacant positions will be filled and the succession of President Robert Mugabe would be decided, according to a report.
Cape Town – Zimbabwe is set to source funds from the international community for the forthcoming
referendum and general elections after principals in the country’s inclusive
government agreed to a new constitution last week.
According to a report by Herald online, Justice and Legal
Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa and his finance counterpart Tendai Biti were
tasked with sourcing money for the two events from donors.
At least $85m is needed for the referendum, while elections
require $107m.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission had budgeted $220m for the
two events, but the amount has been reviewed to $192m.
The reduction in the budget followed the scrapping of the
delimitation exercise that was going to consume some of the funds.
Chinamasa said he would meet Biti to work on modalities
to source the funds.
"Yes, we are going to do that and I have put up suggestions
to minister Biti which we are going to discuss...," said Chinamasa.
Minister Biti, who is also the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) secretary-general, confirmed
that they were charged with extending the begging bowl to donors.
He said government coffers were empty and last month they
struggled to pay civil servants.
"The president and the prime minister wrote to me and minister Chinamasa instructing us to source money to fund elections from the
international community," said Biti.
"We will be approaching the international community on the
basis of that letter."
The elections are expected to bring to an end a shaky power-sharing
government that President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
were forced into in 2009 after deadly and disputed polls held the previous
year.
- News24
