Political Finance

As local Government/Councils elections in Punjab and Sindh are being held in Oct, Nov and December in THREE phases, as notified by the Election commission of Pakistan, it is necessary to know what is to be done by all contesting candidates with regard to political finance which is an important factor in local Governments/ Councils electoral process and covers; 1) disclosures of assets and liabilities 2) election campaign expenses, by all contesting candidates and 3) limits of campaign expenses.

The term ‘political finance” used in this document encompasses all aspects related to the funding and spending of resources by political parties and candidates in the context of election campaigns as well as in non-election times. As such, it is a broader term than “campaign finance”

Political finance plays a crucial role in any democracy by offering a level playing field to all political entities. An effective political finance framework prevents the undue influence of money to skew the outcome of the electoral process in favour of the wealthy. When the laws pertaining to political finance are roperly implemented in a country, the resultant political system is a true representation of the people and works in the genuine interest of the public.

Monitoring and enforcemwent of political finance laws remain a perennial challage resulting in repeated violation and explotions and exploitation of the electoral system. Improvements need to be introduced to ensure that political finance laws are observed in true letter and spirit.