67. Are there provisions for conflict of interests for candidates and/or elected officials?

GRECO FOURTH EVALUATION ROUND

for elected officials:

The LPC defines and regulates conflicts of interests for public officials, including parliamentarians. In particular, a conflict of interest is a (real/potential) contradiction between the private interest of a person and his/her official or representative activities which affects the objectivity or impartiality of his/her decisions and commitment or noncommitment of actions in the exercise of such activities. 75. The following course of action is to be taken when a conflict of interest emerges/may emerge: (i) taking measures to prevent the occurrence of real or potential conflict of interest; (ii) reporting - no later than the next business day from the date when the person found out or should have found out about having a real or potential conflict of interest – to the immediate supervisor, and if the person holds the position that does not provide for having an immediate supervisor or the position in a collective body – to report to the NACP or other authority or a collective body determined by the law, where the conflict of interest occurred while exercising authority, respectively; (iii) refraining from taking actions/decisions when exposed to a situation of a real conflict of interest; and (iv) taking measures to address a real or potential conflict of interest. The LPC recognises that, for specific categories of persons – including MPs, rules for resolving conflicts of interest may be further determined by the laws governing the status of the respective persons and on the basis of the organisation of the respective bodies. The LPC further specifies that, for collective State/local bodies, individuals in a real/potential conflict of interest are to refrain from participating in decision-making processes, or otherwise make an ad-hoc declaration prior to the discussion of the given matter; such an ad-hoc declaration must be reflected in the minutes of the meeting (Article 35, LPC).