The Electoral Council is concerned that only seven of 125 candidates in the September 26 elections have so far presented their donation registrations (see related story). Mind you, there is still more than a week to go before the October 26 deadline, but the number up to now is hardly encouraging.
Also candidates who did not receive anything still have to submit. As one of the sanctions includes publishing the identity of defaulters, the politicians involved would do well to avoid becoming the subject of an embarrassing “name and shame” punishment.
What’s more, those elected into Parliament who fail to comply won’t be able to take the oath of office, with all possible consequences. Surely everyone who postulated him- or herself on a party list must have checked what is required beforehand and cannot now claim they didn’t know.
It’s also important in the sense of ensuring “clean” elections. The National Ordinance on Registration and Finances of Political Parties was established for good reason and not obeying it defeats that purpose.
As with most laws, enforcement is necessary and that’s exactly what the Council is trying to do. As people vying to become elected representatives are naturally expected to have a large sense of responsibility and the capabilities to help govern their country, certainly filling in a digital form shouldn’t be an insurmountable obstacle.
