News / National
Mugabe finally allows UN mission into the country
16 Apr 2013 at 03:19hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe appears to have caved in over a demand by the United Nations to send a "needs assessment mission" to the country before it considers the country's request for US$132 million to fund general elections.
Zimbabwe will allow the mission to be led by Tadjoudine Ali Diabacte, a member of the United Nations' Electoral Assistance Division, into the country but with strict terms of reference, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said.
"I spent the best part of Sunday in negotiations with the Minister of Justice [Patrick Chinamasa] working on the terms of reference of this UN mission," Biti told reporters on Monday.
"Eventually, we came up with an agreement which we all signed in our ugly handwritings to allow the mission to come, and we are expecting the mission anytime soon."
Mugabe tasked Biti and Chinamasa with securing funding for elections which are due later this year. The two ministers approached the United Nations Development Programme in February, but in response the UN set terms.
The UN said it wanted to send a team to Zimbabwe to assess the "political, legal, technical and security environment and electoral framework, including voter registration procedures/processes."
The mission would also review "capacity and needs of election stakeholders and in particular the electoral management body or bodies, including budgetary requirements".
Mugabe's Zanu-PF party had indicated it would resist the UN's insistence on sending a mission to Zimbabwe.
Biti said they had trimmed the election budget from U$254 million which they had presented to UN to US$132 million. The original budget included a referendum on a new constitution which was successfully held on March 16.
Biti said he expected the budget to be "rationalised" further down to around US$100 million using cost-cutting knowledge gained from the referendum.
Biti also said it would be "tragic" if international donors failed to release funds for Zimbabwe's elections as this would "compromise the quality of the election".
Zimbabwe will allow the mission to be led by Tadjoudine Ali Diabacte, a member of the United Nations' Electoral Assistance Division, into the country but with strict terms of reference, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said.
"I spent the best part of Sunday in negotiations with the Minister of Justice [Patrick Chinamasa] working on the terms of reference of this UN mission," Biti told reporters on Monday.
"Eventually, we came up with an agreement which we all signed in our ugly handwritings to allow the mission to come, and we are expecting the mission anytime soon."
Mugabe tasked Biti and Chinamasa with securing funding for elections which are due later this year. The two ministers approached the United Nations Development Programme in February, but in response the UN set terms.
The UN said it wanted to send a team to Zimbabwe to assess the "political, legal, technical and security environment and electoral framework, including voter registration procedures/processes."
The mission would also review "capacity and needs of election stakeholders and in particular the electoral management body or bodies, including budgetary requirements".
Mugabe's Zanu-PF party had indicated it would resist the UN's insistence on sending a mission to Zimbabwe.
Biti said they had trimmed the election budget from U$254 million which they had presented to UN to US$132 million. The original budget included a referendum on a new constitution which was successfully held on March 16.
Biti said he expected the budget to be "rationalised" further down to around US$100 million using cost-cutting knowledge gained from the referendum.
Biti also said it would be "tragic" if international donors failed to release funds for Zimbabwe's elections as this would "compromise the quality of the election".
Source - news
