Through civic election monitoring projects and special programs and activities, CDT seeks to increase the transparency of political party financing and strengthen the oversight and protective mechanisms in this field.
Code of Conduct during Campaign was an important step that CDT has taken to increase transparency of financing political partijes. CDT sought to oblige the parties to publish their reports on revenues and expenditures within a reasonable time period. Through monitoring of parties' campaigning, on many occasions we informed the public of the differences between the costs presented by the parties and the real costs of their campaigns.
Following the adoption of the new legislation in this area, CDT has launched projects that provide comprehensive information about the quality of the implementation of the Law on Financing Political Parties.
At the end of 2009 CDT initiated research about financing of political parties from the budget funds in period 2006-2009, which was supported by USAID/ORT. The aim of this research was to provide detailed insight into the financing of the work of political parties, and financing of election campaigns of parties and candidates, from state and municipal budgets, in the period from 2006 to middle of 2009. This research showed that the Law on Financing of political parties was bad implemented, control of party finances was absent and basic principles of transparency was not respected.
Because this topic was verz interesting, CDT continued with research on the field of financing of political parties and launched the project "Money and Politics", which is supported by the BTD - Balkan Trust for Democracy. The aim of this project is through a series of activities to support establishing a transparent system of financing political parties. We were want to spread activities, and we decided to analyse not just financing from the budget funds, but financing of parties from private sources, for the first time.
The general conclusion of this researches is that the Law of financing political parties is not implemented properly. It should be noted the low level of transparency of party finances and very little control in this area. Identified problems are a consequence of shortcomings of the existing Law on financing political parties, which does not provide a high level of transparency of funding, does not provide effective ways to control and does not specify the responsibility for taking measures that would aim at better implementation of the Law.
CDT is a member of the working group for drafting a new Law on financing political parties, and with experience and knowledge gained through these and similar studies we will try to contribute to creating a better legal solution, which rested on the principles of transparency and facilitate clear and controlled process of financing political parties in Montenegro.
CDT current and future activities in this area are focused on better implementation of the existing regulations and introduction of new provisions to ensure better implementation of laws and increased control of financing of political parties.
Press statements
- Press Statement: Sanctions for Violating the Law on Financing of Political Parties – May 18, 2011
- Press Statement: Weak Control over Party Financing – November 23, 2010
Analysis
- Analyses of Financing to Political Parties in 2010 (available only in Montenegrin language)
- Financing to Political Parties - Analyses of Montenegrin Regulations with Examples of Goof Practice (available only in Montenegrin language)
Publications
- Financing to Political Parties from Private and Budget Funds in 2010
- Financing to Political Parties from Budget and Private Funds in 2009
- Financing to Political Parties from the 2006-2009 Budget Funds
TV shows
Events