Zimpapers Logo

Justice Makarau

Lloyd Gumbo: Senior Reporter

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has started preparations for the 2018 harmonised elections by submitting its election budget to Treasury for consideration ahead of the 2017 national budget presentation.The commission met over 35 political parties in Harare on Monday where it indicated preparations for the 2018 elections were already underway. ZEC and the political parties also agreed on creating nine sub-committees.

The committees will assist ZEC as it prepares for the polls. In an interview on the sidelines of the meeting with political parties at the ZEC head office in Harare, the commission’s chairperson, Justice Rita Makarau, said they were already preparing for the 2018 harmonised elections with voter education expected to officially commence soon.

“We have some money but we do not have all the money that we require for 2018,” said Justice Makarau.

“We have just submitted our budget to Treasury. They are considering it and like everybody else we are waiting to see what they will give us. We submitted the operational budget for 2017 and another for the elections. Altogether we submitted two budgets but I can not disclose the amounts now.”

In 2013, ZEC presented a $132.5 budget for the harmonised elections. Justice Makarau said they expected voter education to start soon. Voters registration begins April next year when the biometric equipment is expected to have been imported.

Turning to yesterday’s meeting, a fourth of its kind, Justice Makarau said the platform allowed them to engage with political parties ahead of the polls.

“We have started with setting up of sub-committees of this particular meeting that will mirror the activities that happen within ZEC, issues like voter education and voter registration so that they have committees of their own that will come and feed information and feed good practices into our processes so that come 2018, we have an election that is above reproach,” said Justice Makarau.

Some of the sub-committees to comprise political parties representatives are the mapping committee, voter education committee, voter registration committee, media and publicity committee, Legal committee, liaison committee, political parties funding committee and the accreditation committee.

The parties immediately appointed a sub-committee to spearhead development of the terms of reference for each of the committees. It was also resolved that among their activities, the various committees would be expected to invite election stakeholders to appear before them to ensure the election processes are flawless.

Justice Makarau said the terms of reference must be within the parties and ZEC’s mandate to avoid conflict with the law. Representatives from the various political parties said they wanted the sub-committees to be all inclusive. Good People’s Movement leader, Dr Gadzamoyo Dewah, torched a storm when he suggested that political parties represented who attend meetings with ZEC must be given allowances.

“I think as a political party that is not in Government or which is not working for ZEC, we are being taken for a ride,” said Dr Dewah.

“I think this meeting should provide a sitting allowance of some sort. Some of us are business people on our own, so my presence at my business is what gives me money and when I am here, I am discussing national issues.

“To some extent, I think we need an allowance of some sort. That little allowance may cushion the business lost, the time I am here, discussing these important national issues.”

However, Dr Dewah was booed by other parties’ representatives.