By: E. Geedahgar Garsuah
MONROVIA: A local Civil Society Organization (CSO), under the banner: Integrity Watch Liberia (IWL), has equipped forty (40) political parties to detect violations of campaign financing regulations.
This move seeks to put in place mechanisms to address campaign financing violations during electioneering period.
As a national civil society organization, IWL’s goal is to promote transparency, accountability, and integrity in government, politics, and law.
The two-day training which was held from November 8-9, focused on various topics relating to campaign finance regulations.
It included introduction to campaign finance regulations, their objectives, key principles, constitutional provisions, disclosure, and reporting requirements.
Making remark at the start of the training, IWL Executive Director, Harold Aidoo, hoped that the training would enhance the capacities of political parties to clearly understand and comply with the regulations.
He also commended the participating political parties for their commitment to promoting transparency and accountability during election seasons.
Aidoo said: “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 regulations that require all political parties to conform to certain norms and regulations as part of the election requirements”.
The head of the local CSO also applauded financial experts who facilitated the training and committed themselves to broadening the knowledge and practices of the various 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.
Aidoo: “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”.
The key objective of training, the organizers said, was 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,” he stressed.