HARARE The Zimbabwe Electoral Support Network (ZESN) has trained 300 observers to monitor political financing ahead of next years planned harmonised polls.
ZESN partnered with the London-based Electoral Reform International Service (ERIS) to train the pilot group of long-term observers, who are expected to use a new political finance methodology in monitoring Zimbabwes electoral process.
Once the methodology has been piloted, further training of up to 300 observers will be carried out, ERIS said this week.
The training was part of its project for Electoral Process Training for Civil Society in Zimbabwe supported by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF).
The monitoring methodology and the accompanying checklists were produced through a series of trainings and strategic planning workshops coordinated by ERIS and ZESN in May.
Political funding has been a contentious issue in Zimbabwean elections since the emergency of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirais MDC-T as a credible opposition to President Robert Mugabes long-running reign.
Mugabes Zanu (PF) has sought to monopolise state funding for political parties while also criticising the MDC-T of being a Western-backed project formed to dislodge the veteran leader from power.
Mugabe and Tsvangirai have both said Zimbabwe would hold fresh polls in 2011.
Last month Tsvangirai called on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to urgently convene a summit that should set a clear roadmap to fresh elections to choose a new government to replace his uneasy coalition with President Robert Mugabe.
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