58. IN PRACTICE: Have campaign finance reports submitted by political parties and/or candidates in the last election been made publicly available?

Para I. Executive Summary

Campaign finance lacked transparency and accountability. Regulations do not guarantee comprehensive and periodic reporting, effective oversight, or proportionate penalties for noncompliance. Most electoral contestants did not submit their financial reports within the deadline. Despite some public financing being provided, most parties lacked the funds necessary to mount effective campaigns.

X. CAMPAIGN FINANCE

The CCER was responsible to oversee compliance with campaign finance rules. Contestants were required to report campaign spending to the CCER within ten days of election day, but failed to do so within the set deadline. Furthermore, the law does not require these reports to be made public or be audited by the CEC. The PEL does not address issues necessary to ensure transparent and accountable financing of election campaigns. There are a lack of provisions to guarantee comprehensive and periodic reporting, effective oversight, and proportionate penalties for non-compliance.

(OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report, Parliamentary Elections, March 2015, Republic of Tajikistan, available at http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/tajikistan/158081?download=true accessed January 2018).     

X. CAMPAIGN FINANCE

The PEL guarantees equal public campaign financing for all candidates, but does not address issues relevant for transparent and accountable campaign finance, such as timely reporting on campaign funds and expenditures or oversight of campaign finance. Prior to the election, the CCER introduced regulations requiring candidates to provide a financial report on the public funds received from the CCER. However, the reports were not required to be made public nor were the CCER obliged to audit the reports. The lack of information available for public scrutiny and the absence of audits limited the transparency and accountability of campaign finance.

(OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report, Presidential Election, 6 November 2013, Republic of Tajikistan, available at http://www.osce.org/odihr/110986?download=true accessed January 2018).