[Editorial] Ruling party at forefront of election fraud

The investigations into April 13 election expenses disclosed that some 19 lawmakers may lose their seats due to unlawful election spending. The figure represents 8.4 percent of the total 227 legislative members elected in their electoral constituencies for the 16th National Assembly. The statutory limitations to prosecute the violators of the Election Law will remain effective for the next 50 days. This means that more prosecution cases will be brought against unlawfully elected parliamentary members, including 12 persons already indicted by the prosecutors.

In the end, the total number of law-violating legislators would come out to one person per ten legislative members, even if we take into consideration the overlapping cases of the statistics. This being our political reality, we are at a loss as to how we can possibly expect new, clean politics in the new millennium.

Among those parliamentary members indicted, the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) members represent 12 while 7 belong to the Grand National Party (GNP). Thus, it is very regretful that the ruling party`s indicted members are almost double those of the opposition GNP members. This shows that what the ruling party loudly advocated as fair elections and clean politics was merely lip-service and political rhetoric. This is also substantiated by the statistics on the total number of cases. The Central Election Management Committee (CEMC) laid charges against legislative and non-legislative members. The breakdown by their party affiliations indicates 174 MDP members, against 36 GNP, 29 United Liberal Democrats and 21 independents. If the ruling party`s powers and the number of candidates are taken into consideration, no one can deny the fact that the ruling party violated most of the Election Law for its election campaigns.

In the last election, candidates filed their election spending, in overall average, to be slightly over the legal ceilings. Those elected also reported that their election expenses amounted to some 70 percent of the legally allowed limit. Now, the electorates can in no way trust the transparency of the filed election expenses. It is not an exaggeration at all to say that our recent political cynicism and distrust originated thereof. Our prosecutors must demonstrate their firm resolve to root out any unlawful election campaigns and their exorbitant spending by conducting thorough investigations that leave no stone unturned.

The statistics on the recent prosecution of Election Law violators indicate a lopsided rate of 8 to 4 indicted cases against the GNP over the MDP and ULD combined. This raises the GNP`s angry protests against what it calls biased prosecution. The total number of ruling party members the CEMC laid charges against was three times more than GNP members. But, actual indicted cases by the prosecutors indicated the opposite of the breakdown by party membership of those cases the CEMC brought charges against. Thus, according to the GNP, prosecutors` leniency toward the ruling party members is apparent. Although we do not entirely agree with the GNP`s argument, which is solely based on the number of indicted cases, the prosecutors must, however, display a far more rigorous and fair attitude in their indictments over Election Law violators to avoid such suspicions against them.

Suspected Election Law violators and unlawful campaign spending must promptly be prosecuted with no delay. Prompt indictment against those lawmakers suspected of such violations can prevent them from continuing with their roles in state affairs. This will ensure the nation`s viable politics, and save the country.