Election financing and violence

Abstract

Election financing has become a controversial issue in many electoral processes in the world, particularly because it tends to determine the outcomes of elections. The extent to which a candidate is able to accumulate the financial resources required to mount an election campaign using the media and public rallies in order to influence voters increases their chances of visibility and possible election victory. Electoral campaign financing for political parties in many African countries has been characterized by corruption, lack of transparency and accountability. This chapter focuses on election financing in Kenya, Nigeria and Sierra Leone and draws attention to implications for transitional justice in all three countries. In Nigeria, for instance, there is a general belief that the political incumbent can use violence during election periods as a strategy to fraudulently keep the ruling party in power. In Kenya politicians mobilize huge financial resources to fund their campaigns, some of which are used to sponsor militia groups to protect political candidates or to intimidate their opponents. In Sierra Leone the use of money to bribe voters and to fund attacks by the militia on political opponents is equally rampant. The legal structures for controlling electoral financing are weak in these countries. What then are the implications of election financing for transitional justice process, especially in situations where there is a history of electoral violence?