(c) any association of persons, whether incorporated or unincorporated, consisting exclusively of permanent residents or citizens of Zimbabwe, domiciled in Zimbabwe; “Minister” means the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs or any other Minister to whom the President may from time to time assign the administration of this Act; “Parliamentary year” means the period beginning on the day after the last polling day of the most recent general election and ending on the anniversary of that polling day; or, in any year in which Parliament is dissolved, ending on the date of such dissolution; “political party” means an association of persons the primary object of which is to secure the election of one or more of its members to a local authority or Parliament. PART II STATE FINANCING OF POLITICAL PARTIES 3 Financing of political parties (1) Subject to this Act, every political party shall be entitled in each Parliamentary year to receive from the State the sums of money that are payable to it in terms of this Act. (2) The Minister shall, as soon as is practicable, and in any case no later than thirty days after the beginning of the financial year, publish, with the approval of the Minister responsible for finance, a notice in the Gazette specifying the total amount of moneys appropriated for all political parties and the amount that shall be paid to each individual political party in terms of this Act. (3) For the purpose of subsection (2), each political party whose candidates received at least five per centum of the total number of votes cast in the most recent general election shall be entitled to the same proportion of the total moneys appropriated as the total number of votes cast for its candidates in the election bears to the aggregate of votes cast for all political parties that qualify to be paid moneys in terms of this subsection: Provided that, where a candidate is declared elected in terms of section 46 or 49 of the Electoral Act [Chapter 2:01] without a poll having taken place, he shall be deemed to have received the votes of all the voters registered in the constituency concerned. (4) Whenever a by-election to fill a vacancy in Parliament is held after a general election, the Minister shall adjust the amounts payable to political parties in respect of the Parliamentary year following that in which the by-election was held, having regard to any changes in the total number of votes cast consequent upon such by-election: Provided that, where a candidate is declared elected in terms of section 46 or 49 of the Electoral Act [Chapter 2:01] without a poll having taken place, he shall be deemed to have received the votes of all the voters registered in the constituency concerned. (5) For the purposes of this section, no account shall be taken of votes cast for any one or more members of Parliament who stood as independent candidates at the general election or byelection concerned but subsequently form or join a political party. (6) As soon as practicable after the publication of the notice referred to in subsection (2), the Minister shall pay each political party the moneys it is entitled to receive in terms of this Act. -3-