According to ZEC’s five-year strategic plan, the commission needs nearly US$94 million for the referendum, US$8,6 million for the delimitation exercise, US$20 million for the voters’ roll and US$117,45 million for the elections. The strategic plan was launched in the capital on Tuesday.and
The US$94 million for the referendum includes money for pre-referendum preparations, voter education, election materials and conducting the referendum.
He said the key to achieving a free and fair election was to ensure “a new, biometric voters’ roll, a stable and secure environment, a credible electoral body with a non-partisan secretariat, a non-partisan public media, security sector reform and a referendum on the new constitution. We cannot have an election before we achieve these key milestones”.Zimbabwe (CIA World Factbook)
$240 million is approximately $40 per voter and 5.5% of Zimbabwe's estimated 2010 GDP.
UPDATE:
Zimbabwe Prof Arrested, Tortured for Watching Viral Vids (Wired.com)
Mugabe is known as one of the most ruthless and vicious dictators in the world, and it appears he has managed to terrorize his own people sufficiently that the prospect of any sort of popular uprising is very remote.It is difficult to see how a biometric voter registration system can, in the current circumstances, be of any benefit to ordinary Zimbabweans. The $240 million it will cost seems more likely to benefit antidemocratic rather than democratic forces.
