• number of its nominated candidates as a percentage of an amount that is approved by Parliament upon recommendation by an independent electoral commission. Nominated independent candidates shall also be entitled to funding, based on an individual candidate’s share; and Political parties which garner at least five per cent of the total vote in a general election shall be entitled to public funding in each Parliamentary year, the amount of which shall be based on the number of votes gained as a percentage of an amount that is approved by Parliament upon recommendation by an independent electoral commission. III. Political parties must be required to present to an independent electoral commission and subject to oversight by Parliament, annual audited accounts in respect of funds received from the State. The funds should be audited by an international firm of Chartered Accountants or by a local reputable, independent and impartial firm approved by the independent electoral commission. The audited accounts must also be available for public inspection. We have noted above that Political Parties (Finance) Act empowers the Minister of Justice to prescribe by regulations, inter alia, the keeping by political parties of proper books of accounts, the audit of the accounts of political parties, and the form, content and publication of statements of accounts by political parties, and that the Minister of Justice has however not done so. It is ZESN’s view that such crucial matters should not be left to the discretion of a minister. The Act itself must carry the necessary provisions while regulations can be used to provide for the small details. IV. Reasonable limits must be placed on how much individual Zimbabweans or Zimbabwean businesses can donate to political parties, in order to avoid the hijacking of political parties by wealthy individuals or companies, thus putting their personal interests ahead of national interests. This will limit corruption through, for instance, awarding lucrative contracts, trading licences, membership of parastatal boards or political appointments to financial backers or their connections. The actual limits can be determined from time to time by Parliament, upon recommendation by an independent electoral commission following consultations with political parties and other stakeholders. Funding of political parties by State organs (including municipalities) and corporations must be prohibited, as is the case in countries like Angola and Mozambique. This will ensure that State organs and corporations do not feel obliged to ‘pay taxes’ to the ruling party and also that the ruling party does not ‘loot’ State organs and corporations in order to finance its activities. To discourage donors and 31