By Kelvin Kasiwulaya
The Election Resource Centre (ERC), an independent think tank on electoral and democracy issues in Africa has denied claims made by ZANU PF treasurer Patrick Chinamasa that they were putting together a donation of US$ 10 million for the training of elections agents ahead of the 2023 harmonized elections.
Chinamasa had alleged that ERC had announced that they were putting together a donation of US$10 million to train 12,500 election agents for all parties participating in the August 23 polls.
ERC has denied these claims and put it on record that there are not aware of the US$ 10 million donation and are not part of the election agent training program as alleged by ZANU-PF Treasurer General Patrick Chinamasa. Said the electoral think tank in a statement dated 23 June 2023.
“On the 21 of June 2023, ZANU PF Treasurer General Mr Patrick A. Chinamasa in a Press Statement stated that “it has come to the notice of the ZANU PF Department of Finance that…Elections Resource Centre (ERC) have announced that they are putting together a donation US$ 10 million for the training of 12500 Election Agents for each of the Political Parties participating in the forthcoming Harmonized Elections”.
“Unfortunately, this statement from ZANU PF is not true with regards to the Election Resource Centre Africa (ERC). As the ERC we therefore put it on record that we are neither aware of this donation nor are we part of such a program as alleged by ZANU PF. As a law abiding entity, we continue striving for electoral excellence, our mission as the ERC is to provide credible information, strategic services and deliberative platforms that aim to improve the quality of democracy and elections at all tiers of Zimbabwean society and Africa at large” reads part of the statement gleaned by Connect Stories.
The ERC is a think tank and advocacy organization on electoral and democracy issues in Africa, having been formed in January 2010 following the need to deepen electoral research work in Africa that would inform effective citizen participation as well as strengthen policy engagement towards improvement of the quality of electoral and democratic practices. The think tank’s vision is an African continent with transparent, credible, inclusive democratic and electoral processes.