Stopping the Rot: Fighting Corruption to Preserve Electoral Trust and Integrity

As we look back at the biggest election year in history, IFES reflects on the critical challenges that defined these electoral contests and the lessons they offer for building greater resilience in democracies worldwide. Corruption has emerged as a particularly insidious threat—one that doesn’t just undermine election integrity but also erodes public trust, fuels instability, and reshapes the democratic landscape. ‘Electoral corruption’ is both a gateway to and symptom of other forms of corruption, including grand corruption, strategic corruption, kleptocracy, and state capture. 

This International Anti-Corruption Day, IFES is highlighting how fighting corruption aligns with broader efforts to protect election integrity and ensure trust in electoral processes. For decades, IFES has tackled corruption through evidence-based programming, learning from both successes and challenges to strengthen resilient democracies that deliver for all. As corruption evolves and adapts, so too must our strategies.

In 2024, we have seen corruption weaponized to cement power through systemic manipulation, state capture, and the deliberate weakening of democratic institutions. From vote-buying schemes in Moldova, to pre-election tampering and internet blackouts in Pakistan, to election delays that tested voter patience in Namibia, these events underscored the devastating, real-world impacts of unchecked corruption on democracy. Yet amidst these challenges, there have also been bright spots that demonstrate the power of democratic resilience. These moments of progress were often nurtured and supported by numerous organizations that played pivotal roles in enabling accountability, transparency, and stronger democratic practices, all critical to deepening and extending democratic cultures. 

IFES contributed to wider efforts in the region by facilitating a network for political finance oversight institutions across Central and Eastern Europe and supporting researching looking at how corruption is weaponized by states as part of their foreign policy to undermine elections, institutional independence and democracy. This network allowed stakeholders to share experiences and adapt effective monitoring practices, bolstering the integrity of elections. Similarly, in North Macedonia, IFES partnered with institutions like the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption and the State Audit Office to prevent the abuse of state resources in politics. By engaging civil society and the media, these efforts helped detect and deter corrupt practices, ensuring a fairer electoral process.

In Southeast Asia, IFES supported the expansion of the Southeast Asia Network for Transparency, Accountability, and Governance (SEANTAG), an initiative designed to drive collective action against corruption. By working through regional bodies like ASEAN, this network fostered collaboration to address systemic issues undermining governance, such as the use of illicit funds in politics.

Meanwhile, In Tanzania, IFES focused on electoral justice, developing a tailored training curriculum with the Judicial Training Institute of Lushoto. This initiative empowered judges and magistrates to address pre- and post-election disputes effectively, including those related to electoral corruption, thus strengthening public trust in the judiciary’s role in safeguarding democracy. In Ghana, IFES joined forces with the Ghana Integrity Initiative to conduct nationwide workshops focused on monitoring money in politics. These sessions raised public awareness and encouraged advocacy for reforms tied to Ghana’s electoral processes, exemplifying how local action can drive national change.

IFES is also committed to continue to build global linkages to raise awareness of these issues. At the 2024 International Anti-Corruption Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, IFES partnered with numerous governments, civil society, and other activist organizations to highlight the important role anti-corruption efforts play in strengthening democracies. From highlighting the pernicious but often ignored effect that corruption can have on the lives of marginalized persons, to addressing the role that dark money in elections has on environmental destruction, or to developing whole-of-government approaches to counteracting malign influence, throughout 2024, IFES drove forward innovative solutions and partnerships to tackle corruption's multifaceted impact on democracy. 

IFES will continue to work globally through six mutually reinforcing areas intended to bolster electoral trust and integrity:

• Ensuring integrity in political financing helps prevent dark and unregulated money from influencing politics;
• Encouraging the responsible use of state resources;
• Bolstering independent and accountable institutions to ensure implementation and enforcement of the law;
• Strengthening resilience to transnational and strategic corruption;
• Supporting the investigation and prosecution of electoral crimes and offenses at administrative, civil, and criminal levels to sanction violations and ensure accountability;
• Enshrining a people-centered approach to electoral justice and accountability enshrined through access to justice and fair and transparent resolution of election disputes.

Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, efforts to address electoral corruption need to continue to bolster democratic resilience globally. The 2025 UNCAC Conference of the States Parties (COSP) presents a critical opportunity to advance global reforms in political finance, addressing a root cause of electoral corruption and reinforcing electoral integrity on a global scale. With pivotal elections on the horizon in 2025, IFES’s Center for Anti-Corruption and Democratic Trust stands ready to assist. By empowering democratic champions, amplifying reform-minded leaders, and driving innovative solutions, IFES will continue to combat corruption, build trust, and safeguard the integrity of elections worldwide.