The Bahrain Institute for Political Development organized a training course entitled “Electoral Campaign Financing,” which comes as part of the first phase of the National Program for Parliamentary and Municipal Elections, “Darb,” in its third edition, as part of the Institute’s preparations for the upcoming parliamentary and municipal elections, within the framework of its plan to enhance electoral awareness and qualify national competencies to participate in the electoral process with professionalism and awareness.
The course was presented by Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim Al Balushi, during which he reviewed the basic concepts related to managing financial resources for electoral campaigns, mechanisms for preparing the budget and identifying legitimate sources of funding in accordance with regulating laws, while emphasizing the importance of transparency and adherence to legal controls at all stages of spending.
The course addressed the scientific foundations of planning and managing electoral financing, and how to achieve a balance between resources and expenditures to ensure efficient spending and achieve electoral goals at the lowest possible costs. It also touched on the most common mistakes in managing electoral campaigns, and ways to avoid them through careful financial planning and continuous follow-up.
The session witnessed remarkable interaction from participants representing multiple categories of those wishing to run, election campaign managers, and work teams, as they raised a set of inquiries and interventions about best practices in campaign financing, and methods for employing available resources to serve the candidate’s electoral message.
In its current version, the program targets multiple categories, including those wishing to run, election campaign managers, candidate work teams, observers, media professionals, youth, and family councils.
It is worth noting that the program consists of four main stages, starting with the stage of preparation for candidacy, followed by the stage of building electoral capabilities, then the stage of specialized support for elections, all the way to the stage of electoral awareness, so that the program covers various aspects of knowledge and skills related to the electoral process.
