Political parties to be checked regarding electoral funding

TIRANA, Sep 15 – The Central Elections Commission chose 27 financial accountants to audit of the 34 political groupings which took part in the June 28 parliamentary election.
The report is to be ready by the beginning of November.
The transparency of the political funding has always been a point of contention and a dark spot in the country’s politics.
The two main political parties — the governing Democratic Party of the re-elected Prime Minister Sali Berisha and that of the main opposition Socialist Party of Tirana Mayor Edi Rama — have always been suspicious of the tunnels, sources of funding of their electoral campaigns, in post-communist Albania.
It is believed that businessmen are ‘obliged’ to give money to one and the other party in order to keep in warm relations when they come to power.
There have also been allegations of suspicious funding for the big and also other smaller political parties.
Besides, the small parties are usually asked to return the funding they get from the public budget after they have lost the parliament election, though that step has not been fully fulfilled any time.