On 13 December, Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS) and Committee for the Oversight of Public Finances have organised a Panel Discussion on the topic: “Challenges of Financing of Political Parties: Where does Kosovo stand?” held in Prishtina. The aim of this event was to highlight main challenges of the political party financing system, as well as to discuss the legislative framework regulating this area. Considering that the Government of Kosovo has approved the concept paper on financing of political parties which was initiated by the Legal Office of the OPM, the panelists had the chance to discuss the most efficient models of the auditing process of political party financing in Kosovo, based on the best practices from international and regional countries. Moreover, during this Panel Discussion, special attention was paid to the transparency of political party financing, their internal control, and the need for an independent mechanism of controlling and monitoring the financing of political parties. “Financing of Political Parties in Kosovo remains one of the main topics discussed in Kosovo during the past four-years. We have seen that financial reports of political parties in Kosovo and their expenditures during electoral campaigns have never been audited and this has seriously harmed the fundamental principles of democracy, such as accountability and transparency”, stated Ms. Pula, a Research Fellow at GLPS. In addition, Mr. Selmanaj, the Chairperson of the Committee for the Oversight of the Public Finances recommended that the auditing of political party funding should fall under the responsibility of the Central Election Commission, and having auditors selected by the Assembly of Kosovo is no longer appropriate.  To conclude, panelist agreed that it is of a high importance to establish a well-functioning institutional coordination on this issue, while ensuring transparency and accountability during the auditing process remains crucial for the democratization process of the country itself.

Panelists:

Mr. Driton Selmanaj – Chairperson, Committee for the Oversight of Public Finances;

Ms. Miradije Mavriqi – Director, Office for Political Parties Registration and Certification, Central Election Commission;

Mr. Felix Rathje – Policy Officer, European Union Office in Kosovo/EU Special Representative;

Mr. Arton Demhasaj – Director, Çohu;

Mr. Isuf Zejna – Program Manager, Democracy Plus.

Venue: Orion Conference Centre (str. Rexhep Luci, 10000 Prishtina, Kosovo)