BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

15/02/2008

Justice Official: Shady Election Funding Common

Violations of campaign funding laws are widespread among present members of Parliament, according to Arto Jaaskelainen, Elections Director at the Ministry of Justice.

He estimates that dozens of MPs have concealed sources of campaign funding with the use of supporters' associations. Candidates file associations as the source of financial support without revealing where the associations got the money.

Jaaskelainen points out that the law requires candidates to specify who has contributed to their campaigns.

Finland compared to Belarus

Transparency International, a global organisation that fights public corruption, has welcomed the new debate in Finland on campaign funding. The chair of the group's Finnish chapter, Leila Mustanoja, says that she hopes that politicians will now reflect and be open about the sources of their campaign contributions.

According to Mustanoja, the lack of transparency of funding within the Finnish political system has aroused surprise in the international community. The latest report by Transparency International on campaign funding compared Finland to Belarus.

Source:

http://www.yle.fi/news/left/id90782.html

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