Election Resource Centre (ERC) has commended the government of Zimbabwe for setting aside US$132, 2 million for the harmonised elections scheduled for next, admonishing the commission responsible for elections to put its house in order for effective funds utilisation.
ERC said although the proposed budget by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) falls short of the $274 million that the Commission had indicated it needed for elections, it is a step in the right direction.
“Given previous experience were election budgets were erratic and inadequate, this development is commendable as it allows for planning, accountability and transparency, in tandem with international practice,
“ERC also notes that some pre-electoral processes such as Biometric Voter Registration were funded when the government disbursed $43 million earlier this year. A further $9 million was allocated to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in the 2017 national budget for administration and by-elections”, reads ERC statement.
However, the country’s top independent election monitoring organisation expressed concerns on the state of affairs in the Commission which was hit with yet another blow when its Chairperson Rita Makarau resigned without stating reasons early this week.
“It is unfortunate that this development comes against a background where ZEC is yet to avail a clear operational plan for the impending elections which includes clear timelines and deliverables,
” The ERC believes that allocating a budget alone is not enough if the use of the money is not planned,” said ERC.
International practice dictates that election operational plans are put in place at least 18 months before the election. This allows election stakeholders to track the performance of the Election Management Body and hold it accountable.
As at 10 December, 4,016,609 prospective voters have been registered through BVR system according to ZEC, surpassing the 4million mark targeted for the same month.
Outlined below are ERC expectations from election authorities:
To ZEC:
1. Account for the resources based on a publicly shared operational plan.
2. Inclusivity in their planning, execution and review of electoral processes in line with international standards.
3. Prioritisation of crucial qualitative aspects of the election process to enhance integrity, freeness and fairness of the electoral processes for the budget to really benefit the ordinary Zimbabwean who is giving the US$132, 2 million through various taxes.
To Treasury:
1. Ensure timeous disbursement of the budgetary support to ZEC in a transparent manner that enhances the ZEC’s independence.
To the Parliament of Zimbabwe and ZEC
1. Focus on these recommendations among others if our elections in 2018 are to be considered as part of the new era announced by the new president in his inauguration speech.