Transparency International unveils bold new standards to make money in politics cleaner and fairer worldwide

Berlin, 12 December 2024 – Today, Transparency International issued a wide-ranging set of policy recommendations that will, if applied, provide an effective bulwark against the corrupting effects of dirty, dark and disproportionate money in politics around the world.

Global expert assessments show that countries are lagging far behind when it comes to introducing and enforcing robust legislation to prevent corruption in political finance. More than 60 countries still allow anonymous political donations and almost as many fail to require political parties to report on their campaign income and spending. These and other loopholes and weaknesses in legal frameworks creating further opportunities for hidden, illicit or corrupt actors to capture politics for their own purposes.

The new policy position from Transparency International, “Standards for Integrity in Political Finance,” outlines over 50 actionable recommendations that together address the key corruption risks in how political parties and campaigns are financed. Recommendations include:

• Requirements for rigorous bookkeeping, reporting and publication standards for political income and expenditure, with parties, campaigns and candidates required to use transparent and publicly accessible bank accounts to manage their funds.
• Banks should be required to monitor and report suspicious activity on these accounts to oversight bodies, which should be equipped and empowered to monitor political finances and cooperate with other agencies to pursue accountability for violations.
• Governments to update regulations to bring greater transparency to online advertising, ban anonymous donations and restrict foreign payments to political entities.
• Scrutiny of public financing to help level the playing field for marginalised groups in politics, particularly women.

Jorge Valladares, Political Integrity Policy Lead at Transparency International, said:

“In 2024, almost half the world’s population cast votes in national elections in over 70 countries and the EU. However, throughout this extraordinary year for democracy, campaign finance has remained the weakest area of electoral integrity. We’ve seen the sadly familiar faces of political corruption – undue corporate and donor influence, opaque donations, pay-to-play situations, and abuse of state resources – undermining the integrity of political competition. These standards are the contribution of Transparency International to help make politics more responsive to the genuine interests and concerns of the electorate.”

François Valérian, Chair at Transparency International, said:

“Nearly every country in the world has committed to transparency in political finance by joining the 2003 UN Convention against Corruption. But study after study has shown that this commitment does not always translate into action. There is no globally recognised, detailed framework to keep dirty money out of political finances elections and make sure that political power is not for sale. We therefore call on the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption to address this gap by adopting clear transparency standards in political finance at its eleventh session, scheduled for December 2025 in Qatar. The position paper published today provides the standard all countries should strive for to ensure progress towards corruption-free politics and reclaim public trust.”

Transparency International’s Standards for Integrity in Political Finance are based on extensive consultation with the global anti-corruption movement’s national chapters as well as experts from governments, international organisations, election observers, civil society, media and think tanks.

Notes to editors

Read the full policy recommendations: HERE

Facts and statistics:

• One third of 109 countries surveyed in the 2021 Global Data Barometer do not require political entities publish financial reports.

• Only 53 countries of the countries surveyed publish some political finance information online. Only 39 did so in a timely manner.

• Only 55 countries have rules which an official or oversight body empowered to ensure that political finance data is accurately and promptly published.

• Nearly half of 181 countries assessed by International IDEA did not require political entities to use the banking system to manage campaign cash.

• There is no limit to donations to candidates in 100 countries, and to political parties in 96.

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