The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) launched a framework for monitoring campaign and political finance during the “Political Finance Transparency and Oversight International Roundtable” in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The report “Citizen Monitoring of Political and Campaign Finance in Asia: A Framework for Action” examines how civil society organizations (CSOs) monitor political and campaign finance in India, Indonesia, Mongolia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

The report noted that these countries impose varying degrees of contribution and spending limits and that they have statutory provisions intended to prevent misuse of state, financial and coercive resources during election campaigns. They, however, grapple with challenges in campaign finance regulation, particularly related to misuse of state resources, enforcement capacity and regulation of digital campaigning. 

It also highlighted that implementation of laws and regulations related to political and campaign finance often fall short because of weak enforcement, legal loopholes and new challenges such as digital campaigning that do not particularly lead to transparent practices even with legal and regulatory frameworks.

This is where CSOs fill the gaps in monitoring political and campaign finance as they serve as watchdogs in calling out the transgression of political contestants, as well as in pressuring election management bodies to enforce rules and parliaments to pass the needed reforms.

To strengthen campaign finance monitoring efforts, the report proposed a modular and scalable methodology for CSOs designed to tackle gaps in legal implementation, enhance transparency, improve oversight of digital advertising and ensure accountability among political actors.

In this episode of “The Election Observer” podcast, ANFREL will discuss what lessons can be learned from the challenges identified from the country-specific case studies, the good practices that can be adopted, and how to apply the framework in monitoring political and electoral campaign finance.

Joining us in this episode are Atty. Carlo Gino Africa, executive director of Hiraya, and Ayan Rahman Khan, program officer at ANFREL.

Catch Season 4, Episode 1 of “The Election Observer” via ANFREL’s Facebook and LinkedIn Pages and Youtube channel. The episode streams via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.