TI Albania asks for transparency of political funding

TIRANA, March 4 – Transparency International Albania has asked the authorities to make public all the legal entities and their financiers, who, according to the new electoral code, are prohibited in funding political subjects during the electoral campaign.
In an effort to prevent the illegal financing, TIA said the publication should be made according to the deadline provisioned in the law.
The law writes that legal entities or their financers, who have profited from public funds, public contracts, or concessions in the last two years with a value of over 10 million leke, are prohibited by law in the financial contribution for political parties.
The Electoral Code says that legal subjects that have monetary obligations toward the governmental budget or any other public institution are prohibited to finance during the electoral campaigns.
“Transparency International Albania, requests that each political party, including the Central Electoral Committee, to publish after the elections in five of the major newspapers, in television, and internet, the list with all the expenses on the respective activates, awarded gifts, publicity campaigns, and all the other monetary wealth from private subjects. Also, the results of the public auctions should be published in order to inform the general public,” said a statement.
The financing of political parties, especially during the electoral campaign, is considered as one of the weaker points of the political system in Albania. The increase of transparency for this issue is necessary not only for increasing public trust toward politics in general and political parties specifically, but also to sign the initiation of the end of illegitimate financing for the government and institutions, by financiers who after the elections demand retribution, said TIA.
TIA also asked the parliament to appoint the High Inspectorate for Declaration and Audit of Assets as an independent and unbiased organism, in the auditing, controlling, and the transparency of the expenses and finances of political parties during this process.
“The increase of transparency in the financing process of the electoral subjects will be an efficient measure for preventing the disturbing phenomenon of political corruption and the inclusion of the government and institutions,” It said.