OSCE/ODIHR seminar highlights need for clear separation between state and political parties
The role of political parties in parliaments and the separation between parties and the state were the focus of an expert seminar organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 1 and 2 July 2014.
More than 50 experts from across the OSCE region, including members of the ODIHR Core Group of Experts on Political Parties, discussed a broad range of topics, including the democratic functioning of political parties in parliaments, the public funding of parliamentary caucuses and the abuse of state resources.
“Political parties are a fundamental element of any pluralistic democracy and are critical instruments for citizen participation in political life,” said Michael Georg Link, Director of ODIHR. “It is indispensable for OSCE participating States, especially those governed by parties holding absolute or qualified majorities, to firmly respect a clear separation between the state and political parties, a principle they have pledged to respect on the basis of OSCE commitments.”
Seminar participants also discussed different strategies for ensuring that parties are free from undue state influence, for protecting the rights of opposition parties, and for ensuring the transparency of political party funding.
Daniel Smilov, Secretary of the ODIHR Core Group of Experts on Political Parties, said: “Regulations on the rights and obligations of parties should be carefully worded to ensure an environment in which political parties are treated equally, and can perform their democratic functions most effectively.”
The seminar was also part of the ongoing process of revising the 2010 Joint ODIHR-Venice Commission Guidelines on Political Party Regulation, to reflect new trends and developments in this field, and the event preceded a meeting of the Core Group on 2 and 3 July to discuss further work on the publication. The 2nd edition of the Guidelines is scheduled for publication in 2015.