KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) says it has embarked on a series of workshops islandwide to educate its returning officers, staff and stakeholders on the new election campaign financing law and regulations, which came into effect on March 1 of this year.

According to a release from the ECJ, the round of information sessions for the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) staff began on Wednesday, August 22 and was completed on Monday of this week. The workshops were guided by the Director of Elections Glasspole Brown and his senior management team. The commission explained that the election campaign financing law is designed to promote accountability and transparency in the governance of a country.

The law dictates standards for the financing of election campaigns, sets limits on campaign expenditure and donations, and mandates that political parties, candidates and donors declare contributions used to fund election campaigns.

The staff members were educated on the requirements of the law, procedures governing monitoring and reporting, as well as the roles and responsibilities of EOJ officers in the process, said the release.

Chairman of the ECJ, Dorothy Pine-McLarty outlined the importance of these sessions saying: “The election campaign financing legislation has only been recently introduced which has created a need for public education.

“We thought it important to ensure that our returning officers, staff and stakeholders get a full understanding of the requirements and these workshops proved to be effective. We will undertake further public education to ensure that all individuals and groups involved in and affected by the process are cognisant of the law and its implications”.

The ECJ said members of the two political parties are also being sensitised, while sessions and campaigns to educate the private sector, civil society, community groups and the public will continue.