(Non)publishing of the reports on campaign financing

Transparency – Serbia , at the press conference, invited political parties which participated at the elections to demonstrate their declared whish to fight against corruption by submitting complete and accurate reports on campaign financing in legal deadline after finishing of parliamentary, regional and local elections.

Besides that, it is on parties to bring to pass, over their representatives in Republic Election Commission that reports on campaign financing became as soon as possible available to public. Namely, recent experience shows that these reports are published with great lateness. After presidential elections in January and February of 2008, organization Transparency – Serbia filled demand for receiving copies of those reports, as well as copy of tender documentation for procurement of services of auditing of reports on campaign financing. REC hasn't fulfilled completely these demands. By complaint of TS, Commissioner for Information of Public Importance instructed to REC submitting of all documents asked. By this decision REC still hasn't proceeded. In the meantime we found out that REC on May 13 2008 instructed that reports should be published in Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia at the expense of political parties, which would most probably be done very soon.

Citizens of Serbia are in a situation to find out data on campaign financing only three months after filling reports. This year absurdity of that situation is even more emphasized because this data on financing of presidential election campaign would be available to public just after finishing of new election process (parliamentary, regional and local elections).