Election Funding in the OECS: A Significant Portion Comes from Outside
Political Parties in the OECS Receive Majority of Election Funds from Outside the Territories
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC—Political parties in Grenada and other countries in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) received a significant portion of their money for election campaigning from donors outside the territories.
Former St Lucia Prime Minister’s Revelation
Former St Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet disclosed this when he appeared as a guest on a local program.
Campaign Finance by Investors
Chastanet, speaking about the Citizenship by Investment programs and the possible link to the financing of election campaigns, said before the CBI programs were a ‘thing,’ campaign finance by investors as a form of investment was already occurring.
Vast Majority of Funds Come from Outside
“Investment, whether it’s attached to citizenship or not, has always been brought into focus. It is long overdue to have an earnest discussion. I would say to you without fear of contradiction that the vast majority of funds coming in to fund campaigns in the OECS come from outside,” said Chastanet, the current Leader of the Opposition in the St Lucia Parliament.
“I will probably say as much as 80% comes from outside, and nobody knows who those persons are who are making those investments or those donations,” he added.
Call for Campaign Financing Laws
During the June 2022 election campaign, Dickon Mitchell, then the political Leader of the National Democratic Congress, called for the enactment of campaign financing laws. However, after 32 months in office, there has been no discussion on the issue.
“If we had laws that limited, for example, the amount of funding that any individual could give to a political party if we had laws that said that a political party will have to report every cent that it got in donation and sponsorship, our politics would change overnight,” Mitchell then said.
Recommendations from the Organization of American States
Following the 1999, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2022 general elections, the observers from the Organization of American States urged Grenada to enact campaign financing legislation.
Conclusion
The revelation from former St Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet highlights the need for transparency and accountability in election funding in the OECS. The lack of campaign financing laws in the region has led to a culture of secrecy, with many political parties relying on external funding to finance their campaigns.
FAQs
- What is the source of funding for political parties in the OECS?
- A significant portion of funding comes from donors outside the territories.
- How much of the funding comes from outside the territories?
- According to Allen Chastanet, as much as 80% comes from outside.
- What is the current state of campaign financing laws in the OECS?
- There are no laws governing campaign financing in the region.
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