Salutations
Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all to Transparency International Zambia’s second media briefing on our political party integrity project. Today, I want to draw your attention to a critical issue that affects the very foundation of Zambia’s democracy: the need for political party and campaign financing legislation, and some preliminary results from our cost of politics study. We all understand that money is a fundamental part of politics, and political parties require funding to campaign. However, when the flow of money becomes opaque, unregulated, and concentrated in the hands of a few, it can undermine the fairness and integrity of our democratic process. Without proper safeguards and limits on political financing, we risk losing the trust of the people in our political system and eroding the principles of equality, fairness, and accountability that form the cornerstone of our society. Therefore, it is imperative that we explore the reasons why political party and campaign financing legislation is necessary, the challenges we face in enacting such laws, and the potential benefits and drawbacks of different approaches to this complex issue.
Political party and campaign financing is cardinal for several reasons, some including:
- To ensure transparency: Political party and campaign financing legislation require political parties and candidates to disclose the sources of their funding and the amount of money they receive. This transparency helps prevent corruption and ensures that the public knows who is supporting a candidate or political party.
- To limit the influence of money in politics: Without proper regulations, wealthy individuals and corporations can exert an outsized influence on the political process by providing large donations to candidates or parties. Campaign finance legislation can limit the amount of money that can be donated and can prevent corporations and other entities from making unlimited contributions.
- To promote fairness: Political party and campaign financing legislation can help level the playing field by ensuring that all candidates have access to the resources they need to run a competitive campaign. This can help prevent the wealthiest candidates from dominating the political process.
- To prevent corruption: Without regulations on campaign financing, politicians and political parties can be influenced by wealthy donors who provide financial support in exchange for political favors. By limiting the amount of money that can be donated and requiring transparency, campaign finance legislation helps prevent this type of corruption.
Ladies and Gentlemen, TI-Z acknowledges the lack of adequate information concerning political party and campaign financing in Zambia, and is therefore working tirelessly to raise awareness on the subject and advocate for its legislation. We believe that when people understand the importance of transparency and accountability in the political process, they will be more likely to demand action from their leaders and support efforts to improve the country’s governance system. Therefore, we deem cardinal, our efforts to educate and mobilize the public around this issue and have since hosted 13 radio programs to discuss and advocate for political party and campaign finance regulation in Zambia. These radio programmes featured representatives of TI-Z, CSOs, political party members and other leading experts who discussed and shared best practices and progress being made on political party and campaign financing regulation in Zambia. Additionally, we have continuously conducted public campaigns using our social media platforms, aimed at raising awareness on the importance and urgent need for political party and campaign finance regulation as well as on the dangers of party and state capture. On these platforms, information on best practices about political party and campaign financing and information from countries where this has worked have been shared through posts and live streaming of events and interviews.
As part of this robust evidence-based advocacy strategy, TI-Z has conducted a study on “Elections and Money: Perspectives from Members of Parliament in Zambia.” The purpose of this study is to estimate the cost of politics in Zambia, identify the cost drivers and collect perspectives from Members of Parliament on the need for political party financing and campaign spending reforms in Zambia. The result of this costing study will inform the design of appropriate advocacy interventions such as educating the public on the dangers of placing high financial demands on members of parliament.
Ladies and Gentlemen, before I share some preliminary results, allow me to explain the methodology used in conducting this study. Quantitative data was collected in March 2023 through face-to-face interviews using a carefully designed questionnaire broken down into four (4) different components, namely, pre-adoption; adoption and nomination; campaign; and post-election. Forty-seven (47) members of parliament (MPs) were randomly selected, following stratification by gender, geographical location and political party, in order to capture the main population characteristics of the 156 MPs who won the 2021 general elections. As part of the research process, three (3) validation meetings have been held in Kitwe, Choma and Lusaka, targeting former members of parliament and candidates who contested for elections. The qualitative information gathered through these validation meetings will be used to contextualize the quantitative analysis through providing deeper insights from the perspectives of these stakeholders.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this cost of politics study has established that the average estimated cost of winning the 2021 elections, as a member of parliament, was K2.64million. Spending was highest during pre-adoption (at K984,044) and followed by post-election (827,370) and the campaign period (K691,643). However, after taking into account the duration of each stage, the campaign period was by far the most expensive and was followed by the adoption and nomination period. It has also been found that female candidates spent significantly less as compared to male candidates and that candidates with a disability spent significant more than other candidates. The gender premium for winning an election was estimated at K919,851 while the disability premium was estimated at K581,309. Further, the study indicates that young candidates aged less than 35, candidates with businesses backgrounds and those with monthly incomes above K200,000 spent more than other respective candidates. In terms of political party, the UPND candidates spent about K2.9 million on average as compared to K2.3million spent by PF candidates during the 2021 general elections. These finding is suggestive of a discriminatory spending during the 2021 general elections. It is therefore imperative to regulate election spending in order to level the playing field for all candidates.
In conclusion, TI-Z acknowledges that political party and campaign financing legislation requires significant political will and support from stakeholders such as the Government, law making bodies, media, CSOs and citizens, but to mention a few. It is important that we continue to advocate for this important reform, and work to build consensus and support among our elected officials and the public at large. By doing so, we can help to promote a more just and equitable political system, where all citizens have a voice and all candidates are held to the same standards of transparency and accountability. Thank you.
Raymond Mutale (MR.)
Programmes Manager, TI-Z
