The European Union has announced that it is suspending financial support to Zimbabwe’s electoral body due to worries about its conduct during the contentious elections in August.
The EU has contributed to a project to increase the capability of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), as one of its donors since 2022.
The project, which is run by the United Nations Development Programme, was to end in December 2024.
The EU gave the project $4.7m (£3.7m), some of which has already been spent.
The project, however, “is currently under scrutiny due to concerns raised by several international election observers regarding the independence and transparency of ZEC during the 2023 elections”, the EU said on Tuesday, stating it would step back.
The union added that the funding cut will encourage prudent management of EU development funds.
The process of suspending aid has begun, and ZEC and Zimbabwe’s finance ministry have been informed of the plan.
However, the union stated that it would keep an eye on events in Zimbabwe and may decide to resume support.
Source-BBC
