During the last five years, the Organization of American States (OAS) has observed no fewer than fifty elections in its member states. A reoccurring theme in the run up to these elections has been campaign finance. As in other parts of the world, in most countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, money does not guarantee an electoral victory, but it is essential to be competitive. Politicians and citizens alike complain about the prohibitive cost of campaigns and watchdog organizations warn about the lack of transparency in raising very large sums of money. The absence of meaningful legislation in this arena has contributed to the public’s growing disenchantment with politics, primarily -- and most perniciously -- among the youth of the region. Campaign financing is vigorously debated before and during an election, but dropped almost as soon as the ballots are counted. If left unattended, though, this issue will continue to erode the credibility of elections and the political parties that compete in them.

This week, the OAS will present to the political leaders of the Caribbean, model legislation addressing what we consider some of the more salient issues regarding campaign and party financing in the region. We are cognizant that each country is unique, with its own challenges and opportunities in this area. This legislation is not meant to be a “one-size-fits-all” solution, but rather an effort to spur public debate and provide suggestions about where and how to start.

We believe that there are three urgent areas that need to be addressed in the Caribbean. First, political parties need a juridical definition. Are they private or public institutions? Should they rely on private contributions, public funds or a combination thereof? Should it be a state responsibility to provide funds for the functioning of political parties and their campaigns?

Second, political parties should be required to disclose their finances, including contributions and expenditures. This disclosure could be public, available to all citizens over the Internet, or exclusively to a regulatory enforcement agency. Political leaders complain about the high cost of campaigns, but few have been able to place a precise figure on the amount raised and spent in a given campaign. Is the problem that campaigns cost too much or that nobody knows how much they really cost?

Third, Caribbean countries should create and support well-funded, autonomous national agencies to effectively regulate campaign financing. Several countries in the Caribbean already have independent electoral commissions, such as the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, which will co-host the September meeting with the OAS. These entities must be endowed with the financial, human and legal resources necessary to accomplish their formidable tasks. Of course, the effectiveness of these organizations depends on the political as much as the technical. Their leaders must possess the political acumen to deal with political leaders as peers and the independence to ensure that the law is equitably enforced.

Public perception of political parties is rarely positive. The very nature of their activities, competing for power does little to endear them to the average citizen. Yet, democracy cannot thrive without political parties. They bring together the disparate interests of the citizenry and offer alternatives in the public sphere. They compete for power and assume the responsibility of government if they succeed. Nevertheless, the rules of this competition, especially as it relates to money, need to be clear and applied equally to all those who choose to compete.