Money in Politics Regional Conference 2023 "Online Campaign Finance: Challenges and Solutions"

On the 6th and 7th of July, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), in partnership with the Central Electoral Commission of Moldova, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) will hold a Money in Politics Regional Conference 2023"Online Campaign Finance: Challenges and Solutions"  in Bulboaca, Moldova. 

With the increasing role of digital technologies in political life, their misuse for campaign purposes opens new challenges for all electoral stakeholders. Online campaigning has clear benefits for democratic politics. But it is also a gateway for major harm to the integrity of the democratic process.

On the one hand, it provides easier access to constituents and voters. On the other, online electoral campaigns have been marked by illegal methods of online disinformation and influence. This includes anonymous content or illicit targeting of voters. These practices are enabled by a lack of transparency in electoral campaign finance and weak oversight systems.

Weak regulation and oversight of the integrity of political finance is a long-standing challenge. However, monitoring, detecting violations, and enforcing sanctions has become significantly more difficult since the arrival of online forms of campaigns (paid and unpaid). Political finance oversight agencies and civil society actors across the globe face similar challenges in ensuring that online campaigns comply with democratic standards. These should ensure the equality of contestants, principles of free and fair voting, transparency, and accountability in the role of money in politics.

The conference aims to exchange knowledge and lessons in addressing the challenges of online campaigning to the integrity of political finance. Participants will review the main trends and identify solutions. They will also consider practices in protecting the integrity of campaign finance in the digital age.

The event will bring together electoral and campaign finance stakeholders from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, as well as global and international experts. They will represent political finance oversight agencies, civil society monitors, political parties, international organizations, online platform representatives, and electoral, media, and political finance practitioners.  

Watch the event live in International IDEA's YouTube channel.

Day 1

Day 2