Legislative Solution to Prevent the Interference of Foreign Financing in the Electoral Campaign and their Destabilizing Effects

Abstract

The Albanian legislation, the Electoral Code and the Law for political parties, prohibit the financing of the election campaign by foreign governments, institutions and/or public or private entities, for political parties and their candidates. Among the effects that such financing can cause, the main ones are: (i) misgovernance and the promotion of destabilizing situations in the country, (ii) the promotion and generation of destabilizing situations in the Balkan region. For well-known geostrategic reasons, the countries of the Western Balkans, including Albania, are really exposed to the interference of foreign funding in election campaigns. This situation conditions the need for further adjustments in the legislation with the following objectives: (i) preventing the interference of foreign financing in the election campaign (ii) strengthening the sanctions (ii) treating this legal violation as a serious criminal offense that must be included in SPAK jurisdiction. Among the issues that should be treated with priority are also the necessary legal regulations through which must be prevent the use of social media and portals as channels for the realization of the objectives aimed at by foreign fundings. Together with these changes, support for strengthen of the capacities of law enforcement institutions for tracking, identifying and punishing violations of the law that prohibits the financing of the election campaign of political parties and their candidates with foreign fund is necessary.   Received: 05 May 2022 / Accepted: 16 May 2023 / Published: 20 May 2023