Money, like elections, is an inherent part of multi-party democracy. However, if not transparent, money in politics carries equally inherent risks of corruption.

Transparency in political financing allows civil society to monitor party and candidate spending and spot and potentially stop funding coming from corrupt or suspicious sources.

Elections – as the most political and money intensive period in politics – are a special test for new democracies, especially where money in politics has traditionally been a veiled issue or where new laws have recently been introduced to make political financing more transparent.

Observing election campaigns offers insight into how political parties abide by the principles of integrity and good governance on which they usually build their election manifestos.

The first real transparency test for the political parties in Kosovo was its parliamentary election last December. Before the election it had adapted its law on political financing, making it mandatory for parties to publish information about their funding sources and expenditure.

Did the law have an impact?

TI’s national contact Kosova Democratic Institute (KDI) had 60 observers in 34 municipalities tracking spending of political parties and candidates, on rallies and TV ads, during the campaign, part of TI’s ongoing monitoring of political finance transparency in the Balkans.

Last week it revealed disappointing results.