Election Commission fines electoral rule violations in Kosovo
Under Kosovo's Electoral Rule on Campaign Finance Disclosure and Spending Limits, political entities certified for the election were required to disclose all campaign income and expenditures (Lubomir Kotek/OSCE) Photo details
PRISTINA, 18 February 2002 - Five political entities that contested in the general elections in Kosovo last November have been fined by the Election Complains and Appeals sub-Commission (ECAC) for violating the requirements of Electoral Rule 10/2001 on "Campaign Finance Disclosure and Spending Limits".
Following complaints from the OSCE Department of Election Operations, which audited campaign financial disclosure reports submitted by the political entities, the ECAC has made the following rulings:
- The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) have been fined 2,000 euros, each for seriously under reporting campaign expenditures, at the same time exceeding the campaign spending limit of 625,000 DM;
- The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) has been fined 1,000 euros, for seriously under reporting campaign expenditures;
- Koalicija Povratak (KP) and the independent candidate Xhevdet Rexhaj have been fined 500 euros, each for failing to submit any report and have been ordered to submit reports within twenty-one (21) days.
If KP and Xhevdet Rexhaj do not submit any forms regarding campaign finances, the ECAC recommends to the Central Election Commission that they not be certified for the next election.
Electoral Rule 10/2001 requires political entities to submit to the OSCE all campaign income and expenditure statements for the 45-day campaign period along with the assets they hold. Statements must be based on receipts, bank records, property titles, rental contracts, list of contributors and amount given (including both in-kind contributions and monetary donation), copies of accounting books and records payments of membership dues. This disclosure intends to make the financing of the election campaign transparent. In addition, a campaign spending limit of 625,000 DM was set to level the playing field among all political entities.
This is the first time that professional and independent auditors have audited Kosovo's political entities. The audit was created as a capacity building project, intended to pave the way for the development of a more complete, efficient and sustainable system of financial disclosure for upcoming election campaigns. Auditors worked with political entities in how to properly account for costs associated with a campaign, and how to publish reports in the most accurate way.
Following complaints from the OSCE Department of Election Operations, which audited campaign financial disclosure reports submitted by the political entities, the ECAC has made the following rulings:
- The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) have been fined 2,000 euros, each for seriously under reporting campaign expenditures, at the same time exceeding the campaign spending limit of 625,000 DM;
- The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) has been fined 1,000 euros, for seriously under reporting campaign expenditures;
- Koalicija Povratak (KP) and the independent candidate Xhevdet Rexhaj have been fined 500 euros, each for failing to submit any report and have been ordered to submit reports within twenty-one (21) days.
If KP and Xhevdet Rexhaj do not submit any forms regarding campaign finances, the ECAC recommends to the Central Election Commission that they not be certified for the next election.
Electoral Rule 10/2001 requires political entities to submit to the OSCE all campaign income and expenditure statements for the 45-day campaign period along with the assets they hold. Statements must be based on receipts, bank records, property titles, rental contracts, list of contributors and amount given (including both in-kind contributions and monetary donation), copies of accounting books and records payments of membership dues. This disclosure intends to make the financing of the election campaign transparent. In addition, a campaign spending limit of 625,000 DM was set to level the playing field among all political entities.
This is the first time that professional and independent auditors have audited Kosovo's political entities. The audit was created as a capacity building project, intended to pave the way for the development of a more complete, efficient and sustainable system of financial disclosure for upcoming election campaigns. Auditors worked with political entities in how to properly account for costs associated with a campaign, and how to publish reports in the most accurate way.