Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) No money for elections: Biti

No money for elections: Biti
by Staff Reporter
27/04/2011 00:00:00

ZIMBABWE does not have the $400 million needed to organise elections this year despite President Robert Mugabe’s determination to hold fresh polls and end the coalition government, Finance minister Tendai Biti has said.

Biti’s revelation comes after senior officials from President Mugabe’s Zanu PF party turned down offers to fund the elections by the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Early this month Zanu PF national chairman, Simon Khaya Moyo said his party could not accept funding from countries that imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe.

“We will not allow that development. When it comes to this issue, there’s no compromise and each one of us must carry their own cross,” Moyo was quoted as saying.

Foreign affairs minister, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi also ruled out foreign funding of the elections during a recent meeting in Harare with envoys from the regional SADC grouping.

Meanwhile, Biti said the coalition government faced a $150 million deficit this year because it had missed all revenue targets with almost half the year gone.

The government has set a revenue target of $2.7 billion this year, but the economy has performed poorly due to the unstable political environment.

President Mugabe wants an early election because the coalition government, which was formed in 2009, has become disfunctional.

“The economy cannot sustain an election,” Biti told journalists in Harare.

“The budget we have has remained static. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has submitted a budget of $400 million. Where do I get that kind of money when I am looking for $150 million to fund the budget deficit if the revenues remain as they are?”

Biti’s remarks suggest that an election would be unlikely this year.

Again a road map produced by the three parties in the coalition last week effectively ruled out elections this year.

Negotiators from Zanu-PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations crafted the blue print with the assistance of facilitators appointed by South African President Jacob Zuma

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS (ZIMBABWE), MDC, SIMBARASHE MUMBENGEGWI, TENDAI BITI

posted by MrK @ 5:51 PM