CARICOM wants campaign financing reform dealt with on regional level

   

Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says CARICOM governments have discussed the issue of campaign financing reform and agreed that this should not be handled by individual countries.

 

He says the matter is not a straight forward situation.

 

Opposition parties in Dominica have been calling for campaign finance reform as part of overall electoral reform in the country.

 

Mr. Skerrit says when the issue was discussed at the CARICOM and Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) levels, there was a view by the heads of government that it should be dealt with from a regional standpoint because of its complexity. 

 

"As a matter of fact, there was even a view that we should engage on further consultations on this and we see what kind of uniform legislation that we can bring to the table for consideration of the CARICOM heads of government on the issue of campaign finance because it's a very complex situation.... It's not straightforward stuff.... This is why even in the United States where you have such legislation, it gives the presidential candidates the opportunity to opt out of that arrangement and they are allowed to raise as much money as they wish to," Mr. Skerrit pointed out.