This was the main message highlighted in Inside Story on Top Channel, aired during the final week of the May 2025 electoral campaign. The report, titled “Electoral Labyrinths”, focused on the lack of transparency in electoral financing, the misuse of personal data, and problematic aspects of social media use during elections.
In an interview for the program, Aranita Brahaj, Director of the organization AIS, pointed out significant flaws, deficiencies, and negative patterns in the current model of reporting and oversight of campaign expenditures and political finances.
“We need electoral reform that begins with the drafting of a new legal framework for the financing of political parties and electoral campaigns. The current legal provisions are insufficient,” – stated Brahaj.
She also criticized the current division of financial reporting between the pre-election period and the official election period, calling it unjustified and ineffective.
Furthermore, Brahaj raised concerns about the misuse of public payroll funds, noting that approximately half of the public administration is temporarily contracted during the election campaign, without having civil servant status or officially approved positions in public sector organizational charts.
She emphasized that public money is being used during the campaign in ways that distort and compromise the electorate. According to her, there are two major issues with the flow of money in election campaigns:
- Funds from unidentified donors, which are not properly declared or transparent, and are not subjected to adequate verification regarding their use in actual campaign activities;
- Significant sums spent not on legitimate campaign activities, but on electoral crimes such as vote buying or buying a place on the candidate list.
Full Report: ‘LABIRINTI ELEKTORAL’-“Qindra mijëra € në rrjet, si u cënuan të dhënat personale me AI”-Inside Story