Zimbabwe needs $220-million to hold a constitutional referendum and fresh elections at dates yet to be set, a state daily reported on Wednesday.
“We came up with a budget we submitted to treasury and as long as we get the money we are ready to roll,” Joyce Kazembe, deputy chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) told the Herald newspaper. “We have already trained our officers.”
The coalition government of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, formed in 2009, is preparing to hold a constitutional referendum for a new charter before fresh elections are held after disputed polls of 2008. But a lack of funds and disagreements among the parties in the ruling coalition has delayed the drafting process.
Violent attacks, including one in which militant Mugabe backers killed a Tsvangirai supporter in an attack on a public meeting, have also disrupted the consultation process.
Full Article: Zim elections will cost $220-million, says commission – News – Mail & Guardian Online.