Political corruption and the financing of politics Part 2

“If you know the meaning of a word in European languages, use that word in Turkish so that they think you are a man of substance.” This principle is the common motto of pseudo-intellectuals and showy, ignorant people who want others to say, “What a knowledgeable person.” They apply this principle with great sacrifice. In doing so, they cause the corruption of the language. The word “finansman” (financing) has also entered our language through the push of this principle. It has also taken its place in our laws. 

Financing is the money spent to carry out a business process. In short, financing means EXPENDITURE. 

Now, if we return to the subject of expenditure, that is, financing, we must first answer this question.  

What is the scope of the financing of politics?

It covers all resources that candidates need in the form of money, goods, or services.

The spending, monitoring, and auditing of these resources are also within the scope of the financing of politics. (Kırbaş, 2012: 164). 

To clarify the concept of the financing of politics, we can also add the following sentence:

-Political parties,

-Independent candidates, 

-Non-governmental organizations intertwined with politics, 

-Candidates in local government elections,

-Presidential candidates,

 -Obtaining resources for election campaigns during elections, 

-Using money, 

-All work and transactions carried out for the auditing of the expenditure process are called the financing of politics.

When explained in terms of political corruption, the financing of politics is also defined as the financial resources provided to political parties and candidates competing with each other to hold political power. 

As a result of the development and diversification of election propaganda methods, the election expenditures of political parties and candidates have increased significantly. It is accepted that the success of political parties and candidates in elections is directly proportional to the number of methods they use in their election campaigns, and therefore to the size of their monetary resources and other aid.

This situation has necessitated that the expenditures expected to be made by low- or fixed-income, or even relatively wealthy citizens to participate in elections be met, in part or in whole, by certain financial circles through money, goods, or services. Politicians have utilized the power of capital to come to or remain in power, and capital circles, by providing the financing that would enable certain politicians to come to power, have found the opportunity to gain benefits in the long run, recover their expenditures in some way, and also steer the country from behind the scenes as they wish. For this reason, many democratic countries have tried to ensure equality among political parties and candidates participating in elections, and to ensure the auditing of expenditures that are extremely harmful not only in terms of democracy but also in terms of political and social morality, so that money and interests do not corrupt politics (Tacar, 1997: 2-3). 

The financing of politics is not only important in terms of political ethics and democracy, but it also affects the organizational form and membership structure of political parties.

The transparency of the financing of politics also forms the basis of good governance, political stability, and sustainable development. Countries take measures regarding this issue because cases of corruption and unethical activities that arise during the financing of politics cover a significant portion of the country's resources and affect political stability and sustainable development (Yüksel, 2010: 170-173). 

The ways in which political parties obtain income and how and for what they use the income they obtain are important in terms of political corruption. For this reason, in efforts to prevent political corruption caused by the financing of politics, it is necessary to determine how political parties obtain income, and also to identify illegal forms of use of the income obtained. 

Activities that cause political corruption in the process of providing and using the financing of politics can be listed as follows: 

-Aid and donations that violate laws related to the financing of politics;

-A person holding a political office using money obtained from a corrupt transaction for campaign or party expenditures; 

-The use of public resources for partisan political purposes;

-Making commitments to provide illegal or unethical benefits to individuals or groups that provide income during election campaigns in the event of being elected as a member of parliament; 

-Receiving support from illegal or underground sources and vote-buying. 

These activities should be taken into account when making legal regulations regarding the financing of politics and developing financial audit mechanisms to prevent political corruption. 

CONCLUSION 

The phenomenon of political corruption existed in very early historical periods. 

With the transition to democratic political administration and the period of representative democracy, it has encompassed a wide area and diversified. Political corruption has continued to increase. We can list the reasons for this situation as follows:

-It is generally explained by the existence of absolute political power; the fact that the powers and authorities of those who govern the state are not limited,

-The fact that actors involved in the political process look after their own private interests constitutes the cause of political corruption. 

-To express this situation more comprehensively, the state where political power is not limited and which has grown excessively gives rise to economic and political corruption. 

-The fact that politicians increase public spending in order to be re-elected and increase their vote shares, and that the increasing expenditures are met through emission and borrowing, has increased budget deficits and chronic inflation and paved the way for political corruption.

-The solution is to limit the powers, authorities, duties, and functions of those who govern the state. The most fundamental way to do this is to limit powers and authorities through constitutional regulation. 

-The way to prevent political corruption caused by the financing required by political parties, especially for their expenditures during the election process, is for regulations regarding the income and expenses of parties and their financial audits to be subject to constitutional regulations. 

For the security of the state, the peace and security of the citizen, and the establishment and rooting of the rule of law, the prevention of political corruption and the fairness of the financing of politics are indispensable fundamental conditions. 

Every citizen has duties in this regard.