Financing Political Parties and Electoral Campaigns in Romania – Challenges for Professional Accountants (original) (raw)

Some Accounting Aspects regarding the Elections Campaigns in Romania

Risk in Contemporary Economy, 2016

The objective of this paper is to present the legal framework for financing the election campaigns in Romania and in the world. There are different systems of campaign finance across the world. Some of these systems rely mainly on private funds, some are based mainly on public funds, but most systems are a combination of both. In all cases a certain degree of limitations on contributions and expenditures are a standard characteristic of the campaign finance system. Limitations on contributions can be means to reduce the corruption and limitations on expenditures may be imposed to guarantee egalitarianism among the various political forces.

Campaign Finance in Moldova 2010: Big money, few donors, undeclared expenses reform needed!

This study provides the most comprehensive review of campaign finances undertaken in Moldova. The purpose of the study was to provide quantitative and qualitative data on electoral campaign finances of Moldova’s major political parties.The study found this campaign finance regulatory system in need of big improvements. While some parts of the campaign finance regulatory system are working well, others are only partially working or not working at all. The study shows that campaign finance regulations are failing to provide the type of transparent information that allows citizens to make an informed choice based on a clear understanding of who is financing political parties and how the parties are spending donated money. The data gathered during this study shows political parties are in a financial race to cover exponential increases in campaign costs. Official electoral campaign budgets of major political parties are spent on media promotion. This has become the largest expense line and a key element in a party’s electoral strategy. Advertising on TV (and radio) represents 75% of declared political party expenses. Party leaders are under pressure to be present in the media as the media aggressively promotes political leaders and allocates substantial time for political issues.

Campaign Financing of Political Parties: Parliamentary ellections 2010

Politics started to resemble a playground of a logic-line of business-interest-image-buildingdominated- by-money-influence-interest-competition among same political figures “reinventing” themselves in the new themes. Political parties monopolistically dominate public polity and democratic institutions imposing political culture at the same time transferring undue influence on them. Civil society and public interest is perceived as an opportunity rhetoric and image builder. Parties’ accepted as part of rules of the game domination of the electoral regulatory authorities and electoral norms make public interest promotion of building of a strong and viable parties as democratic institutions harder and harder to achieve.

The Importance of Regulation and Enforcement for Political Party Financial Transparency in Albania

Political parties are considered the cornerstone of democracy, helping to ensure that there is an informed and engaged citizenry. Public and private funding is essential for political parties to survive, compete fairly, and perform their democratic functions, both during and between election campaigns. However, the involvement of money in political party systems and campaigns also poses serious risks of corruption and undue influence 1. Transparency is vital in order to mitigate such risks. Political party finance refers to the role of money in politics, which encompasses a wide range of activities and roles. 2 This means the internal financial practices of political parties –fundraising, spending, reporting, and campaign money. 3 Political finance issues are often twofold: arising from errs by both the legislator and the regulator. This paper will identify the issues associated with political party financial transparency in Albania and incite further discussion around this underdeveloped topic. To this end we will analyze the development of political finance regulation in Albania focusing on the loopholes and discrepancies between law and practice, and then discuss, generally, what experts have identified as the most common challenges for political finance legislation and implementation.

Financing the 2005 Presidential Elections: The Role of Regulative Institutions

2005

Summary The paper looks into the institutional features of regulating the 2005 campaign for the election of the president of the Republic of Croatia. The role of the regulative institutions is analyzed within a broader context of the regulation of political funding in Croatia. The paper deals with the non-transparency of the system of party and election funding in Croatia based on a comparison of the principles of good practice in political funding. Nassmacher’s approach to the regulation of political finance is used as the analytical framework for the analysis of financing the 2005 presidential campaign in Croatia. It s based on four options: the autonomy option, the transparency option, the advocacy option, and the diversified regulation option. Ad finally, the paper offers a brief overview of the funds used by the presidential candidates in the 2005 election campaign.