Registration and Funding of Political Parties —

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Topic IndexRegistration and Funding of Political Parties

The registration of political parties, when required, may also fall outside the functions assigned to EMBs by the electoral legal framework. In other countries such as India, Mexico, South Africa and Thailand, the EMB administers political party registration, serves as the guardian of political party symbols and independent candidates’ logos, and holds copies of party constitutions and selection rules. Party registration may take place either throughout the electoral cycle or occur in the months prior to each election.

It is uncommon for an EMB to assume responsibility for parties’ procedures for selecting candidates, but the increasing pressure for internal party democratization has caused some election analysts to support this role for EMBs. Many EMBs in the USA are involved in running primary elections for party candidates for elected ofﬁce. The EMB in the Australian state of Queensland has the power to conduct inquiries and audits of pre-selection or primaries of candidates for state and local elections. The Indian EMB insists that registered parties hold periodic internal elections.

The supervision of political parties’ contributions and/or expenditures, and the disbursement of any public funding for parties and candidates, also sometimes falls outside the functions given to EMBs by the electoral legal framework. Party funding and expenditure are controlled by a body other than an EMB in countries such as Spain and the USA. In Canada, Kenya, Lithuania and Russia, candidates and political parties have to report all financial contributions they receive to the EMB and provide an audited report of their expenditures during election campaigns (and in some cases each year). In New Zealand these reports are received and made public, while in Cambodia, Liberia, Nigeria and Russia the EMB checks these reports and makes the results public. In France and India, the EMB checks that campaign spending limits are adhered to. In Mexico and Zambia, the EMB distributes state funding to political parties annually and for each election campaign. Some EMBs have a role in regulating media allocations for party campaigns. The EMBs in Canada, India, Mexico and Russia regulate the allocation of public media air time to parties and candidates. In Canada, the EMB appoints a broadcasting arbitrator to allocate paid and free time to registered political parties on the electronic broadcasting networks. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the EMB ensures equitable treatment in the provision of public places and facilities for use during the campaign.