VI. Reporting and monitoring of political parties' funds
New monitoring body for political funding: the Chamber of Control
The new draft Article 34 2 f) and g) stipulates that the “Chamber of Control of Georgia is authorized to (…) f) Request information on party’s finances from political parties, administrative bodies and commercial banks in case of necessity; g) Respond to violations of party funding regulations and apply sanctions prescribed by law (…)”. To carry out its tasks, the Chamber of Control should have the necessary staff and resources. The Law should ensure such means. If it is indeed tasked to monitor on the ground, the Chamber of Control should have a number of electoral and campaign experts at its disposal – not only auditors. Additionally, it is not clear whether the Chamber of Control has the capacity to audit financial donations received from private entities. These issues should be clarified in the Law.
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