Transparency in political financing of parties in Iran

While political funding is a necessary component for political parties to play their role in the democratic process, transparency and openness in financing of political parties is the cornerstone of a well-functioning democracy. Absence of disclosure of sources of party funds facilitates corruption and gives rise to quid pro quo between big donors and politicians. Countries where parties or political leadership are overly reliant on funding from a chosen few donors, policy decisions are co-opted. The equitable playing field gets eroded when one party has indomitable access to excess campaign finance. Therefore, the transparency of political finance is important because parties are the source of money entering politics, so the integrity of democracy depends on the transparency of political finance of party. So the question is, how transparent are the expenses of political parties in Iran? In this descriptive-analytical study, we will examine this question regarding the financing of political activities of parties as well as their electoral campaign.