Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 08/2013

Buying influence: Money and elections in the Balkans

June 2013

Transparency International

Abstract

This report highlights the strengths and weaknesses of current election campaign financing legislation and its implementation in four countries – Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia (FYR) and Serbia. It also examines some aspects of annual political party financing in Albania. In addition, the report details promising practices in the region and makes recommendations for reform. The report covers eight dimensions of election campaign financing which are crucial for ensuring transparency and reducing the risk of corruption and abuse of resources during election campaigns. These dimensions are: reporting to the oversight agency; depth of reporting; reliability of reporting; public disclosure; prevention; sanctions; state oversight, and public oversight.