Civil society's role in advocating for, drafting, and implementing campaign finance laws

This question is posted by ACE on behalf of PN member Lesley Richards. 

Question:

I am looking for case studies or reports that show how civil society has successfully advocated for the implementation of a new campaign finance law (party disclosure of financial statements for election campaigns) and also how civil society monitored the the drafting and implementation of the law. 

PN members are requested to share examples, reports, or links to examples online.

Summary of Responses:

• One practitioner asserted that campaign finance should be viewed within the broader context of the financing of political parties, encompassing topics such as vote buying and the abuse of state resources. He noted that civil society organizations (CSOs) play an important role in providing independent monitoring vis-à-vis the implementation of laws and regulations on campaign finance, and the extent to which political parties and candidates abide by such norms. CSOs also perform valuable functions by providing input and expertise in the development of prospective reforms by legislative bodies. Georgia, Moldova and Serbia provide insightful case studies in this respect. However, CSOs need to further promote public awareness on the interplay of politics and finance, spurring greater involvement by the citizenry in pressing for improved regulation.
• A practitioner from Bangladesh highlighted that the initial legal framework for campaign finance did not address important issues such as expenditure limits, sources of campaign funding, and disclosure by parties and candidates. CSOs identified shortcomings in the relevant laws and put forward reform proposals to increase transparency in this area. Significant reforms were eventually implemented in 2007-08, introducing among others:
• Mandatory disclosure of probable sources of election expenditure by the candidates at the time of nomination
• A requirement that candidates and parties open separate bank accounts to cover election expenditure
• Post-election disclosure of campaign expenditure by parties and candidates 
• Expenditure limits for parties and candidates

However, a new provision was added in 2013, effectively allowing party chiefs to spend unlimited funds on election campaigns without attendant disclosure requirements. 

• Another practitioner from Comoros noted that the efforts of CSOs contributed significantly towards the establishment of multiparty democracy in that country. CSOs there had engaged with national institutions through various meetings, and with international bodies through negotiations on the Cotonou Agreement and related economic pacts.     

External Resources:

 

 

• This site provides links to relevant reports from Transparency International Georgia and other groups in Lebanon and Tunisia:  http://magnusohman.net/index.php/political-finance-resources/ 

Contributors:

• Idi Boina
• Magnus Ohman
• Francisco Barrerra 
• Abdul Alim   

J'interviens selon l'expérience dans mon pays,ici toutes les lois sont d'habitude proposées par le gouvernement,mais le rôle des organisations de la société civile ont été à l’avant-garde de la lutte politico-sociale ayant abouti à l’instauration de la démocratie multipartisme et au pluralisme syndical dans Les Comores.  

Maîtrisant mieux les problèmes sociaux et témoin du bien –être et du mal –être de la population, la société civile est devenue un partenaire incontournable. Elle a acquis un statut officiel sur le plan national (participation aux grandes rencontres nationales, (participation dans les institutions) et sur le plan international (Accord de Cotonou, participation aux négociations sur les Accords de Partenariat Économique et autres.)

A l’approche des élections, les Organisations de  la société civile sont sollicitées pour diffuser à travers des campagnes de sensibilisation, ses opinions aux candidats, aux électeurs, aux élus afin que les élections puissent apporter le résultat escompté conformément aux normes internationaux. Etant donné que la population est une proie facile de la corruption pendant les élections, les organismes de la société civile (syndicats, Associations de défense des Droits de l’Homme,  organisations féminines, médias privés et autres) s’investissent dans  des campagnes d’information et de sensibilisation de la population afin de rehausser le niveau de culture civique de la jeunesse si souvent instrumentalisée pendant les élections. 

Campaign finance should be seen in a larger context of political party finance, and also include issues such as vote buying and abuse of state resources (otherwise it is highly unlikely to achieve the intended goals). Regarding the latter issue, check the various reports published by Transparency International Georgia, which is ground-breaking in this field. You find a link to their publications and to those by groups  in Lebanon and Tunisia here http://magnusohman.net/index.php/political-finance-resources/ 

My experience generally is that CSOs can be highly effective in monitoring the implementation of laws (or more precisely the compliance by parties and candidates, and if anything happens in case of violations). They can also provide very useful recommendations for reforms, and engage with legislators regarding necessary reforms (there are some interesting cases of this in countries such as Georgia, Moldova and Serbia). What is often missing is effective approaches to building public awareness regarding issues relating to money in politics, driving public pressure for more effective regulations. Politicians are often able to get away with reforms that look nice but which do not effectively impact their unhindered ability to raise and spend money. 

Eln Colombia existen las leyes para regular el funcionamiento de los partidos, las donaciones y los pagos que le hacen a los partidos por la cantidad de votos que obtienen adjunto la ultima norma. Yo creo que lo deficiente es el control, el monitoreo de lo que hacen con los dineros y de quien los suministra y en que se invierten los recursos en forma real

In Bangladesh, the 1st version of the legal framework didn't cover expenditure limit, no guidelines about source of election campaign fund, heads of expenditures, disclosure both by parties and candidates etc. The CSOs/NGOs conducted multiple number of studies, identified loopholes and advocated for bringing transparency in campaign finance. Although some of the issues addressed in 1991, most of the reforms were done in 2007-08 before the 9th parliamentary elections; reforms include:

1. Mandatory disclosure of probable sources of election expenditure by the candidates during the time of submitting nomination paper.

2. Opening a separate bank account by the candidates to maintain the election expenditure.

3. Disclosure of election campaign expenditure by the candidates 30 days after publishing the election results.

4. Opening a bank account by the parties to meet the election campaign expenditure.

5. Disclosure by parties after the election.

6. Expenditure limit both by the parties and candidates.

But unfortunately, in late 2013 before the 10th parliamentary election, a provision has been incorporated that the party chief can spend unlimited money for election campaign and this need not to disclose.

 

 

Al respecto, en Ecuador desde el 2009 entró en vigencia el Código de la Democracia con el cual se unificó en un solo cuerpo legal las leyes de elecciones, de partidos políticos, de voto de los ecuatorianos en el extranjero y de fiscalización del gasto electoral.

Las ventajas de la codificación consisten en un mejor manejo de la ley; facilidad para la difusión del texto.

Sin embargo, era necesario que se expidiera el Reglamento General al Código de la Democracia, que no se ha hecho hasta la fecha, ocasionando como efecto negativo una proliferación de normas reglamentarias para cada tópico, sin concordancia entre si, y que en algunos casos dificultan la aplicación de la norma.

La sociedad civil reclama por más difusión y capacitación al respecto, logrando se realicen excelentes programas de formación en cuanto a los derechos de participación y la rendición de cuentas.

En cuanto a los reportes del gasto electoral siguen habiendo falencias en la gestión del organismo electoral, ya por falta o deficiencia de políticas institucionales, ya por ausencia de claridad en los procedimientos. Frente a esto la reacción de la sociedad civil ha sido limitada.