CORRUPTION IN THE ELECTION PROCESS: THE CONCEPT AND FEATURES

CORRUPTION IN THE ELECTION PROCESS: THE CONCEPT AND FEATURES
Russian Journal of Criminal Law, 2014, no. 1(3), pp. 97–100.
Zyryanova Irina A. Siberian Federal University (Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation). E-mail: sfu-sharm@yandex.ru
Keywords: corruption, electoral process, concept of corruption, signs of corruption, subjects of corruption.
Corruption in the election process should be understood as a socially negative phenomenon distorting real political
competition. It consists in the use of one's status, official position for personal or group interests to illegally benefit in the
preparation and conduct of elections and referenda, and to provide or promise such benefits and advantages.
Corruption in the election process is characterised by a certain set of features allowing to distinguish it from other similar
ones. Unfortunately, the features of corruption in the election process as an independent form of corruption have hardly been
developed in the national scientific and legal literature.
Corruption in the election process can be characterized by the following set of features: the sphere of existence; specific list
of subjects; the use of the status, official posititon by the election process subjects; the purpose characteristic for this type of
corruption relations.
The sphere of existence of this type of corruption is the election process itself both in its narrow and broad definition.
The purpose of corruption in the election process as well as corruption in general is to receive benefits of tangible and
intangible nature. Different subjects of corruption in the election process want benefits and advantages of various kinds. The
candidate, for instance, seeks victory in the election (although today it is common for registering candidates not to seek election,
but to discredit the main competitor of “their” candidate). Representatives of financial-industrial groups and organised crime that
finance the campaign of a candidate or an election association expect the winner to follow agreements or just to support them in
the future. Voters as subjects of bribery pursue the aim of obtaining material benefit here and now probably thinking that the
money, food packages, etc. is the little they can actually get from using their right to vote, as opposed to the candidate or party
promises of improvements in the future.
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