Transparency International (TI) Albania expressed concern that three months after parliamentary elections in the country, financial transparency of the electoral subjects facing the electorate leaves much to be desired.
Political parties are obliged to remain transparent towards the electorate in respect of the Constitutional and Electoral Code provisions in force.
Information exists only for funds obtained from the state budget, but there is no indication of income from private donations. In none of the public media have political parties stated the total amount of their spending during the electoral campaign. TI Albania requests political parties to make public the details of their spending. This is the best way to verify the compliance of Article 90 of the Electoral Code, which prohibits expenditure greater than 10-fold of the greater amount an electoral subject has received of public funds.
TI Albania requires political parties to publish as soon as possible the register of campaign financing, based on Article 90 of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Albania. This stipulates that any election subject must detail in a special register, the amount of funds obtained for any natural or legal person, as well as other information related to clearly identify the donors.
Publishing lists of campaign contributors to political parties is the best way to control the observance of Article 89 of the Electoral Code, which prohibits funding of special subjects as investors with public funds, foreign funders etc.
Use of public funds in the campaign is a concern expressed by both the International Representatives reports, as well as local media. The public however, still does not know the true extent which law was broken, specifically Article/point 7 and Article 88 of the Electoral Code, which prohibits use of public funds for electoral purposes.
TI Albania urges respect of Article 9 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the financial resources and expenses of the parties should always be made public-
TI Albania notes that the provisions for financial transparency provided to the Electoral Code fail to ensure implementation of this important constitutional provision.
TI Albania proposes drafting a comprehensive law on financing political parties (the law would include not only what happens during campaign, but also between the two campaigns) specifically targeting Article 9 of the Constitution.
TI Albania urges political parties to end the silence on financing and is drafting comprehensive legislation aimed at making the informal functioning of democracy in Albania consistent.
Transparency International 21/09/2009