DECLARATION ON THE OPENNESS OF POLITICAL SYSTEMS

DRAFT
Preamble
We, the undersigned have a vision for flourishing, accountable, fair and participatory political
systems because we believe that systems of this nature are essential to a healthy democracy. Access
to sufficient financial resources to carry out political activities is necessary in building robust
institutions. However, moneys role in elections and the political process also can reinforce existing
or unjust power structures and compromise the ability of governments to serve their citizens.
Therefore, government bodies, political parties, civil society organizations, citizens and the media
have a responsibility to ensure that moneys role in politics strengthens, rather than obstructs, the
integrity of elections and policy-making. To this end, we believe that supporting equitable
institutions, transparency and oversight of political finance is key in ensuring a stable and
flourishing democracy. While recognizing that the uniqueness of local context may justify the
adaptation of this declaration, the undersigned community pledges to advance the following
principles to foster strong, accountable and open political systems.

Fundamentals of strong political systems

Strong political systems encourage diverse activities.
Given that political activities encourage civic participation, foster representation of citizen interest in the
political system and help inform voters, they are essential to a fair and participatory political system.
Political parties and candidates should be authorized and supported in appropriate ways to carry out these
activities.

Strong political systems require funding.

Given that resources are necessary to enable diverse political activities, political parties and candidates should
be permitted to gain access to sufficient funds to carry out campaigns and maintain regular operations, be it
through public or private means.

Strong political systems recognize and limit threats to democratic processes.

As a political systems potential to be fair and participatory depends on the capability for all stakeholders to
voice their interests, reasonable limits on how much private individuals or entities may contribute to political
parties and candidates should be considered to ensure that political systems remain equally responsive to all
citizens.

Strong political systems strive to prevent corruption and undue influence.

Given the potential risks that money in a political system pose, be it quid pro quo corruption, the
entrenchment of unjust institutions or undue influence, political parties and candidates should strive to be
agents of integrity. These entities should pursue funding and execute operations through practices that align
with both their duty to serve the public interest and a national legal framework aimed to address these risks.

Strong political systems should strive to foster equal representation, trust, and
equality.
All citizens have a right to participate in the political process, therefore, lack of access to resources, be it
education, social status or financial assets, should not inhibit this opportunity. Political parties and
candidates have a duty to uphold inclusive policies and foster practices that encourage equal opportunity in
the political process.

Strong political systems recognize the role of the law and state in building
accountable and representative politics.
As political systems and the state are mutually dependent, the state should strive to foster strength in political
systems. Any state resources dedicated to political parties and candidates should be allocated in a fair,
equitable and transparent fashion, such that they foster competition in political systems rather than hinder it.

Strong political systems protect independent civil society and free press.
As external mechanisms can be instrumental in limiting threats to the political process, civil society and the
media should be able to operate freely and without restrictions. Where appropriate, legislation or rules should
be enacted to uphold and protect these freedoms.

Strong political systems recognize and protect openness.

Transparency is an essential tool in checking the potential risks in a political system. Specifically, openness of
political activities, including political finance, can educate voters, strengthen enforcement of the law, deter
corruption and provide evidence for necessary reforms. Political systems have a duty to uphold the tenets of
openness and transparency.

Fundamentals of open political systems

Open political systems recognize the right to information on political activities.
As a prerequisite to adequately participating in and monitoring the political process, access information on
political activities, such as campaigning, platform development and finances, should be clearly acknowledged
as a right of all citizens.

Open political systems adopt policies that advance openness of political activities.
The publics right to information on political activities should be codified through both traditional right to
information laws and mandating proactive disclosure. These policies should support public access to
information on the income and expenditures of political parties, candidates and third-party actors that carry
out political activities.

Open political systems publish information on political activities.

Information on the political activities of candidates, political parties, and third-party actors, including
financial transactions, should be made available to the public.

Open political systems utilize appropriate communication channels.

Access to information on political activities, including financial transactions, should not be limited by
geographic location or internet access. Where internet publication is not sufficient to ensure widespread
access, alternative methods should be employed.

Open political systems publish political finance information in a timely fashion.

Information on political activities should be made available to the public in a timely manner, with the goal of
releasing information in as close to real-time as possible.

Open political systems publish accurate and complete political finance information.
Sufficient record-keeping and oversight processes should be put in place to ensure that all political finance
information reported and published is as accurate and complete as possible.

Open political systems ensure accessibility of information on political activities.

Information on political activities should be made available without registration or licensing restrictions and
free of charge, with the exception of direct costs.

Open political systems publish data in relevant languages.

Information on political activities should be made available in all national or working languages.

Open political systems publish political information online.

Information on political activities, including financial information, should be published in an electronic
format and maintained in a central and permanent place online.

Open political systems provide information in open and structured formats.

Information on the financial activities of political parties and elections should be compiled and released in an
open and structured format, such as structured XML, JSON or CSV, that can be read and processed by
computers.

Open political systems standardize political finance information.

Information on political activities should be released in a standardized format that enables meaningful
analysis. International standards on reporting and publication should be adopted as they come to exist.

Open political systems ensure usability and comprehension.

To ensure optimal understanding of the activities of political parties, elections and third-party actors, clear
instructions should be provided for the use of any online databases or tools. Relevant metadata should be
provided in the publication of raw datasets.

Open political systems allow downloadability for reuse.

Information on the financial activities of political parties and elections should be easily downloadable, in bulk
and in well-documented formats to allow for easy reuse of the information.

Open political systems recognize the role of strong oversight and enforcement.
As the effectiveness of disclosure in successfully limiting risks in the political system is dependent on its
trustworthiness, mechanisms for oversight and enforcement are necessary. These mechanisms ensure that
information reported and released is accurate and hold potential threats to the strength of political systems to
account.

Fundamentals of accountable political systems

Accountable political systems protect openness through legislation.
To ensure these principles hold sufficient weight, legislation should be enacted that supports the oversight of
political activities. Sanctions should be codified and appropriate processes should be established to ensure
compliance with the tenets of a strong political system.

Accountable political systems codify violations and establish sanctions.

Appropriate sanctions should be enacted to deter actors from exercising unethical fundraising practices,
circumventing reporting requirements or otherwise threatening the accountability and equity of the political
system.

Accountable political systems establish independent control agencies.

To ensure compliance with disclosure requirements and to enable meaningful oversight, a politically
independent enforcement agency should be tasked with the role of oversight of the political system.

Accountable political systems enable effective monitoring by independent control

agency.
Control agencies should be equipped with the necessary legal powers to perform oversight functions, such as
investigations, audits and enforcing sanctions.

Accountable political systems provide adequate resources to control agency.

Control agencies should be equipped with adequate financial resources, staff and training to perform their
duties effectively, including the publishing of information on political activities.

Accountable political systems promote openness of control agency activities and

investigations.
As institutions designed to serve and strengthen the political system, control agencies should demonstrate a
commitment to openness. They should proactively disclose information online about their responsibilities,
legal powers, audits, investigations and sanctions in a complete, timely and accurate fashion.