Transaprency International Albania

TIA: Required a comprehensive law on financing political parties.

Transparency International Albania expressed concern that 3 months after holding parliamentary elections in the country, financial transparency of the electoral subjects facing the electorate leaves to be desired. 

Political parties are obliged to remain transparent toward the electorate, in respect of the Constitutional and Electoral Code provisions in force, being published at any time the financial resources and their costs. 

Information exists only for funds obtained from the state budget but there is no indications of income from private donations. In none of the public media, political parties have not stated the total amount of their spending during the electoral campaign. For this, we ask as soon as possible of political parties to make public the amount of their spending as this is the best way to verify the compliance of Article 90 of the Electoral Code which provides prohibition for expenditures greater than 10-fold of the greater amount an electoral subject  has received of  public funds.  

TIA 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, which stipulates that any election subject must enroll 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.   

Publication of list 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, but the public still does not know the extent to which law was broken and 3 respectively Article/point 7 and Article 88 of the Electoral Code, which prohibits use of public funds for electoral purposes. 

TIA urges respect of Article 9 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the financial resources of the parties, as well as their expenses should always be made public. TIA notes that the provisions for financial transparency provided to the Electoral Code fail to ensure implementation of this important constitutional provision. 

Transparency International Albania proposes drafting a comprehensive law on financing political parties (the law that includes not only what happens in the campaign, but also between the two campaigns) targeting the respect of Article 9 of the Constitution. 

Transparency International Albania urges political parties to end the silence on financing. Albania is in delay in drafting a comprehensive legislation, as a first step to end the informal functioning of democracy in Albania.