Electoral Media and Electoral Expenditure
A curated digital resource bringing together laws, judicial decisions, academic references, reports, and comparative materials from Arab countries and international jurisdictions.
Arab & International Resources
Research Paper on Electoral Media and Electoral Expenditure
Developed under the project, this research paper is supported by the online compendium, which brings together around 833 relevant resources, including court decisions, laws and regulations, academic references, reports, and comparative materials.
About the Compendium
The Online Compendium on Electoral Media and Electoral Expenditure is designed to provide a comparative overview of legal frameworks, court cases, institutional references, and selected best practices from Arab, regional, and international jurisdictions. It focuses on two closely connected components of electoral integrity: the regulation of electoral media and political advertising, and the regulation of electoral expenditure and campaign finance.
The objective of the compendium is not only to gather legal texts and references, but also to help researchers, electoral bodies, civil society organisations, journalists, and policymakers understand how different systems address practical challenges that often exceed the limits of legislation alone.
This is particularly important in the area of electoral expenditure. Certain practices, such as vote buying, indirect payments, misuse of public or private resources, hidden donations, third-party spending, and informal campaign financing, are difficult for the law to regulate comprehensively. Their legal treatment often depends on evidence, judicial interpretation, oversight capacity, and the broader political and media environment.
The compendium therefore brings together laws, judicial decisions, academic and policy references, reports, and articles in order to highlight both the formal rules and the practical approaches adopted to address these challenges. It covers issues such as campaign spending limits, political donations, vote buying, public funding, financial reporting, media coverage, electoral advertising, digital campaigning, disinformation, electoral silence, and the misuse of resources during electoral periods.
The materials are organized into structured tables covering Arab country resources and international examples from Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, and other jurisdictions. This online version does not claim to be exhaustive; rather, it offers a living reference base that may be updated as new laws, judgments, reports, and studies become available.
This online version aims to facilitate access, comparison, and further research. It does not claim to be exhaustive; rather, it offers a living reference base that may be updated as new laws, judgments, reports, and studies become available.
About the Project
Inclusive Democratic Participation: Enhancing Education, Engagement, and Oversight in Lebanon is a 24-month initiative implemented by the Arab Center for the Rule of Law & Integrity (ACRLI), as lead applicant, in partnership with the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), funded by the European Union.
The project seeks to foster a culture of democratic participation, rebuild public trust in elections, and empower citizens—especially youth, women, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities—to engage meaningfully in Lebanon’s democratic and electoral processes.
In a context marked by political instability, declining voter turnout, weakened public confidence, and growing youth disengagement, the project responds to the urgent need to strengthen inclusive participation, civic awareness, and democratic resilience. It does so by combining evidence-based research, public dialogue, youth engagement, awareness-raising, and capacity-building activities across Lebanon.
The project focuses on two main objectives. The first is to foster active and inclusive participation by strengthening public trust in elections and enhancing voter engagement through targeted campaigns and educational programs. Under this objective, the project will develop a research paper on media, advertising, and campaign financing in elections, accompanied by a compendium of relevant court cases and international best practices. It will also conduct a comparative research process on new voting technologies, linking global experiences with Lebanese realities and producing youth-owned recommendations for future electoral reform.
The project will also organize youth town hall meetings, educational sessions, awareness activities, and a National Day for Civic Engagement, creating spaces for citizens to interact with municipal leaders, voice their concerns, and contribute practical recommendations to strengthen accountability at the local level. In addition, small grants will be provided to local NGOs to expand outreach and promote inclusive participation in underserved and remote areas.
The second objective is to enhance the capacities of electoral stakeholders to support and sustain democratic principles and practices. Through a tailored curriculum on democratic values, leadership and conflict management training, LEAD Training of Trainers, cascade trainings, and a National Youth Workshop on Democratic Participation, the project will equip youth, civil society actors, and electoral stakeholders with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to promote civic engagement, electoral justice, mediation, advocacy, and democratic dialogue.
By bringing together citizens, youth, civil society organizations, universities, municipalities, media actors, and electoral experts, the project aims to create sustainable platforms for participation and reform. Its ultimate goal is to contribute to a more transparent, inclusive, and representative democratic system in Lebanon—one in which citizens trust elections as meaningful tools for change and actively participate in shaping the country’s democratic future.