In December Transparency International, our parent organization, released a report Standards for integrity in political finance recommending common worldwide standards to strengthen integrity in the increasingly darkening world of political finance.
The need for the report is stated in the introduction:
“Money is essential for political participation. Political parties and candidates require financial and other resources to organise themselves, formulate their ideas, and communicate them to the public. However, unchecked or opaque funding can allow affluent vested interests to exert undue, disproportionate, or even criminal influence on politics and policymaking. A lack of transparency and controls can lead to the capture of laws and resources by a powerful few, undermining the quality of government and eroding public trust in institutions. For that reason, we put forward these Standards for Integrity in Political Finance as a blueprint for reform.”
The UN General Assembly has recognised that to “effectively address challenges (…) to prevent and combat corruption,” countries must “protect the integrity of the electoral process, promote its accountability to voters, transparency and impartiality in domestic electoral institutions and oversight mechanisms, and transparency in the funding of candidatures, political parties, and electoral campaigns.”
“However, these commitments have not been adequately translated into universal standards or international obligations. For that reason, we put forward these Standards for Integrity in Political Finance as a blueprint for reform”.
The standards are a holistic set of measures that describe the effort needed to mitigate corruption risks and promote integrity of, at a minimum, the financing of national-level political parties and election campaigns.
Six principles are described with appropriate behaviors, frameworks and oversight mechanisms identified to support the principles.
Principle 1 - Transparency
The public has the right to know how money influences politics. Information about sources of funding and expenditures provides important context for making informed decisions at the ballot box and holding officials accountable. Transparency also deters illicit interests from seeking to buy political influence.
Principle 2 - Clean Money
Political funding must voice the legitimate interests of voters. To protect democracy from corruption and undue influence, political finance must originate from legitimate sources and use legal channels. Promoting clean money in elections means closing opportunities for covert, secretive or criminal actors – foreign or domestic – to gain undue political leverage over public discourse and election outcomes.
Principle 3 - A Level Playing Field
Access to money should not result in an undue advantage. A level playing field means that political parties and candidates have equitable opportunities to contest elections. Measures such as limits on donations and expenditure help ensure that moneyed interests do not gain undue influence over decision-making processes.
Principle 4 - Gender Equality
Political funding must counter corrupt practices which keep women from elected positions. Women are the largest of several groups underrepresented in politics. Only 27 per cent of parliamentarians in single or lower houses in the world’s parliaments are women.
Principle 5 - State Neutrality
Public offices and funds must be neutral in elections. State neutrality in elections and campaigns is critical for preventing the abuse of state resources.
Principle 6 - Accountability
Political finance regulations must be monitored and enforced. Accountability and oversight are a key link in the chain of political finance integrity. Oversight bodies must be empowered to verify and publish financial reports. Otherwise, parties, candidates, campaigns and third parties can conceal information and the public will remain in the dark.
