On February 2025, the General Election Commission of Mongolia (GEC) applied to join the OGP Challenge to ensure the transparency of political party financing. After reviewing and approving the initiative, Mongolia became the first country in Asia to join the Challenge. In line with the amendments made to the Constitution in 2019, Mongolia has completely revised and adopted the Law on Political Parties after 18 years, creating a legal environment for political parties to operate transparently, responsibly, and under public scrutiny. The GEC is focusing on fully implementing this law effectively. Simply reporting political party financing is not sufficient to ensure transparency and accountability; therefore, publishing it as open data is crucial for public oversight.
After the Regional Meeting held in Manila, the GEC organized an inception meeting in Ulaanbaatar. The meeting, titled “Development of an online platform/digital system to collect and publish financial reports by political parties” was held in collaboration with international organizations such as the Open Government Partnership Support Unit of Mongolia, Open Society Forum, Transparency International, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Representatives from 37 registered political parties, civil society organizations, and various government agencies participated in the meeting.
During the meeting, international experts shared their experiences and best practices in implementing digital systems for political party financing transparency. The meeting also focused on defining the requirements for the digital system to ensure transparency and accountability in political party financing. Participants discussed the need for a user-friendly system that allows for easy data entry, analysis, and public access to financial reports. The meeting concluded with a consensus on the importance of developing and implementing a digital system to enhance transparency and public oversight of political party financing.
Please read the detailed progress report from the file attached below.