MAP - Requirements for Effective Political Finance Disclosure
Commitment to democratic principles
Only
countries that have introduced basic rules of democratic elections (free
elections) and political competition (multi-party democracy) will not
abuse disclosure for selective, partisan enforcement of campaign finance
regulations
Clear regulatory framework
The framework should be
reasonable and feasible (i.e. it can be complied with by the regulated
community and implemented
by the political finance regulator)
Capacity to comply
The regulated community should have
the capacity and knowledge to comply with relevant disclosure regulations,
procedures,
and forms.
Independent political finance regulator
Ideally, there
should be a single specialized collector and disseminator of disclosed
information
with the power to audit and enforce.
Public transparency
Collected data should be made available
to the public in a timely manner and a user-friendly format; but in such
a way
that takes into account serious privacy concerns that may exist.
Auditing and enforcement
There should be mechanisms
for auditing reports, enforcing disclosure regulations, and levying appropriate
penalties to
enhance accuracy in the reported political accounts.
Monitoring and oversight
Civil society organizations
and media have a critical role to play in monitoring and analyzing reports,
using disclosed
account data in their investigative reporting, and making external complaints.
Self-evaluation
There should be mechanisms for self-evaluation
by institutions involved in the process and by the agents of disclosure
as a group.
Leadership and coalitions
Clear leadership and trust-based
coalitions between and among the agents of disclosure enhances credibility
and streamlines
the flow of information. There should be also coalitions among key international
actors involved in anti-corruption, political party, and electoral process
programs to add value to and enhance sustainability of programmatic initiatives.