Public statement:

To be more serious about fight against corruption in pre electoral campaign

Organization Transparency Serbia is pleased because of the fact that fight against corruption represents one of the main topics of current pre electoral campaign. However, we wish to pay public's attention that this above all serious subject is not always treated in campaign in a way that enables the voters to have the proper image about programs and intentions of election participants.

To enable the voters to choose on the bases of programs and intentions of certain political parties in the area of fight against corruption, firstly those programs should be declared clearly. Since in Serbia fight against corruption doesn’t start „from zero point“, Transparency Serbia considers that it would be very useful for those programs to contain following items: a) relation towards National Strategy for Fight Against Corruption which is adopted on December 2005. b) standpoint in regards to existing anticorruption regulation (regulations on Public Procurement, Financing of Political Parties, Preventing Conflict of Interest, Free Access to Information, Criminal and Criminal procedure Code etc.); c) plans for resolving problems of state institutions which deal with fight against corruption; d) plans for disposing of system corruption causes which now exist („vertical“ inter party distribution of power in authority organs , employment on the bases of party, relative and friendly relations in public institutions, too wide immunity from prosecution etc.); e) description of so far behavior of parties on the matter of fight against corruption (e.g. if they voted in National Assembly for bringing anticorruption regulations, what did they do in practice to implement those regulations when they were in power).

Corruption is in Serbia serious problem, and we believe that parties’ promises to work on its solution will have impact to voters’ choice. Rethinking and elaboration of parties’ programs on this matter will help voters to insure themselves into seriousness of given promises and give them possibility to check fulfilling of promises in practice, but in the same time will be useful to parties’ leaderships to rethink in advance what challenges they will face  if they get the chance to perform public authority.     

Transparency – Serbia

Press Office

Belgrade, December 21st 2006.