Liberia: Political Parties Trained on Campaign Financing Regulations
Integrity Watch Liberia (IWL) is taking action to address campaign financing violations by providing training for 40 political parties in Monrovia. As a national civil society organization, IWL’s goal is to promote transparency, accountability, and integrity in governments, politics, and law.
A recent report released by Integrity Watch Liberia revealed widespread violations of campaign financing, with the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) identified as the main offender. In addition to highlighting these violations, the organization emphasizes the importance of integrity and transparency in Liberia’s electoral practices.
The two-day training, November 8-9, focuses on various topics related to campaign finance regulations. This includes an introduction to campaign finance regulations, their objectives, key principles, constitutional provisions, disclosure, and reporting requirements.
During the official opening of the training, Harold Aidoo, the Executive Director of Integrity Watch Liberia, expressed hope that the training would enhance the capacities of political parties and help them understand and comply with the regulations. Aidoo commended the participating political parties for their commitment to promoting transparency and accountability during the upcoming election season.
“We hope that this training will serve as another enforcement to enhancing your capacity as political parties, know what the regulations say and how to fill many of the financial forms that we are supposed to submit in compliance with the laws against the constitutional requirements and the regulation requirements that require all political parties to conform to certain norms and regulations as part of the election requirements,” he said.
He also highlighted the importance of financial experts facilitating the training and their commitment to broadening the knowledge and practices of the attending political party officials. Aidoo emphasized that the training would strengthen political institutions and promote compliance with the laws and regulations governing political party finances and reporting requirements.
“Even though the elections are not yet over, we’re hoping that the knowledge will help to strengthen our political institutions so that we can conform to and comply with many of the laws and regulations that govern how political parties are supposed to perform in terms of their finances and their reporting requirements,” Mr. Harold Aidoo stressed.
The key objective of training, the organizers said, is to empower political parties with the knowledge and skills needed to adhere to campaign finance regulations and ensure a level playing field in elections. It is a crucial step in promoting democratic values and fair electoral practices in Liberia.