Govt releases $100 million for political parties

Harare (New Ziana)-Government on Saturday announced the new disbursements of public funds to political parties for the year 2021 in line with the ratio of votes garnered in the 2018 elections.

The announcement was gazetted in a Statutory Instrument 244 of 2021.

The S.I stipulated that of the total ZW$100 million, ruling Zanu PF would get ZW$70.3 million while the MDC Alliance pockets the remainder.

“It is hereby notified, in terms of section 3 (2) of the Political Parties (Finance) Act [Chapter 2:11], that the total amount of moneys payable to political parties in respect of the year beginning 1st January 2021, and ending 31st December 2021, is one hundred million.

“The money shall be disbursed to political parties that qualify in terms of section 3 (3) of the Act as follows- seventy million and thirty thousand dollars ($70 030 000.00) shall be paid to the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) which received 70.03 percent of the votes cast; and twenty-nine million nine hundred and seventy thousand dollars (29 970 000.00) shall be paid to the Movement for Democratic Change – Alliance (MDC-A), which received 29.9 percent of the total votes cast,” the notice said.

According to the Political Parties (Finance) Act, the State is obliged to provide funding to political parties that get at least 5 percent of the vote in a general election.

New Ziana