Preportr Research: Political parties main door to employment

The year we left behind was an election year. In addition to being a contest between candidates for deputies and mayors, it is also a race of opportunity to reward with employment people engaged in party and electoral process.

The possibility of employment in state institutions often means “approval” for preliminary by the ruling parties. So employing party militants that are otherwise known as political auspices is a very widespread phenomenon in Kosovo and is damaging the performance of many institutions and their state.

The extent and consolidation of political auspices is mainly for double purposes: reward and control. Through this approach, political parties have managed to consolidate their organisations, strengthen businesses and specific economic and interest groups, but maintain ties with their voters.

The findings show that political auspices has sweeping scope, both horizontally present in all institutions (centre and local) and at that vertical point, affects many decision-making positions within the hierarchy of public institutions.

Under the findings it proves that the volume of employment in public institutions of individuals with party affiliations is in fair proportion to the power that the party or the ruling coalition has in central power.

The arrival of a ruling political party immediately played out the impact of that party on employing people in high decision-making positions. The 2014 investigation into political auspices testified that with the coming power of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) started employing people of this party in high decision-making positions. This phenomenon is resurfaced in Praportr research for 2015- 2016. With the arrival of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) in the government, it has been immediately noted that employees in high positions have political ties with this party. In all, this has been observed in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Culture, and especially in public companies and independent agencies, where the number of employees, related to the LDK, has increased markedly.

After implementing a projection research in 2014, Preportr has again undertaken research to see the act of political auspices, including 2015 and 2016. Including both investigations, data shows that in 2010-2016, there are a total of 406 senior officials with decision-making positions related to political parties.

Meanwhile, Praportr's continuation of research shows that in 2015 and 2016 alone, there are 116 senior officials who have been employed in this period of time and who are related to political parties. Of them 91 officials still work in these positions.

Of the 116 officials mentioned, the LDK led 48 officials, followed by PDK with 42, AAK with 8, AKR with 7, LVV with 5, SCS with 2 and NISMA, Movement for the Union, KDTP, VAKAT with an official.

Of the total number of 116 officials registered as employed in 2015 and 2016, 61 are employed in ministries. Their ties to political parties are as follows: 23 have political ties with PDK, 22 with LDK, 7 with AAK, 6 with AKR, while one official has ties to NISMA, LVV and LB.

Officials who are mentioned above related to political parties are employed in various hierarchical positions in ministries, from the position of directors (18), general secretaries, chiefs and department leaders.

Political parties' public nesting companies

Political auspices has had considerable expansion in public enterprises. These companies are used to employ party militants in almost all positions. The way of employment in public enterprises was distributed even around “Proto”, where PDK people were selected through the phone to important positions in these companies, which are of great importance in management and performance of public enterprises.

Preportr has found that in 2015-2016 alone, 35 senior officials linked to political parties have been employed in public companies. Of these 35 officials 14 are related to the LDK, 13 to the PDK, 4 to LVV, 2 to the SKS, one to the AAK and one to the AKR.

As seen in this case, the LDK's coming to power has significantly influenced the number of senior officials in public companies associated with the party. So there was only one wheel cycle, where PDK officials left and were replaced with LDK officials. Meanwhile, it has been repeatedly reported to the media that the top positions of public enterprises are split in advance during ruling coalition agreements among the parties that have come to power.

Placing party persons at the top of public enterprise boards occurs because of the political parties' two major interests. First, it serves as a reward from the party for its members. Second, it also serves to bring other people to the party, as the party is considered by the “that perform jobs for its members and voters”.

Caping Independent Institutions

Independent institutions, such as independent agencies, independent commissions, regulatory authorities, etc., are packed with officials linked to political parties. According to Preportr research for this period, 19 senior officials work in independent institutions are linked to political parties. Of them, 12 are related to the LDK, 5 to the PDK, one to the VAKAT and one to the KDPT.

Against the political patrol phenomenon has been consistently expressed by Great Britain's ambassador to Kosovo, Ruairi O'Connell. In this regard he has undertaken an initiative to help select professionals in public companies and independent agencies.

He in an interview for Preportr has said that since post-war and nearly ten years after independence, it is obvious that independent boards and agencies of parties that are not there because of professionalism, but because of nepotism and political ties.

The British ambassador has also commented on Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj's move, which a few weeks ago has fired ten directors of public enterprises who have been selected in these positions contrary to the law.

“generally all these structures must be cleaned up and have people independent. This process should be by law. It is not to be cleaned up by people from one party to replace with people of another party, it is not a step forward, it is step back”, Ambassador O'Connell said.

He says that in public companies and undocumented agencies, deserving professional people should be employed and thus not be indebted to anyone in those positions and will therefore work for the good of the country, not according to the direction of someone employed there.

It should be stressed that putting individuals with clear party affiliations in key institutions and decision-making positions, such as public procurement, represents dominant factors not only in establishing and consolidating political auspices, but also in creating and extending a clientistic culture to political parties. In a “money policy research” conducted by Preportr, it shows that extending clientlism to political parties has disturbing proportions. Research has shown that within August 2007-2014 alone, some 220m euros have been distributed to political party funders.

Agron Demi from the GAP Institute says that the employment of party militants in high positions in public companies and independent agencies has been significantly distributed since 2008 and have continued over the years despite the parties that have led with institutions.

“With the governance of PDK-LDK has been announced the competition since the beginning, and the same thing has happened as 2008-2009, boards have been divided by half. It was similar with independent agencies' boards, such as the Kosovo Central Bank, where the main man was from the PDK, who has recently been elected minister. It is similar with ATK and other institutions”, Demi says.

He says such selections have chain effects, and if we take the boards that are the highest body, they set for example in public companies for the executive chief who is political in most cases. According to him, it affects that other people employed there, most of them are partisans, then if we look at the reports of these respective companies is negative.

The only solution is for political parties not to have their hands free to send their people to public companies and independent agencies. We also have Vetevendosje that has continued with the same approach as the “Cleaning” that sent a party militant to the local Public Company who also leads a man of this political subject. These cases can only be overlooked if we have strong courts to handle these cases”, Demi noted.

He says that in addition to politicisation, overemployment and poor performance, some of the independent agencies have not been necessary to create. Politicalized public university.

In the period 2015 and 2016, there is a significant increase in the number of those who have taken leadership positions at Kosovo public universities and who are linked to political parties. Compared to the period 2010-2014, there is a huge increase in the train.

Preportr, based on the established methodology of research, has found that 32 officials are employed in public universities. From this number of officials, it turns out 12 have political ties with PDK, 9 with LDK, 5 with AKR, 4 with AAK, 1 with NISMA and 1 with LVV.

It should be noted that these are only leading positions at public universities, as there are a considerable number of professors associated with political parties, even being part of the election lists.

In a research that Preportr has conducted this year, only for the Faculty of Philosophy, Jurydical, Economic and Medical, it turns out there are a large number of professors associated with political parties.

In these schools, a total of 374 professors have been researched, among which 50 figure to have direct connections with political parties or express themselves in percentages, 13.36% of them, which shows that it's not about coincidence, but there is deep politicisation, apart from the fact that these data are only for four UP faculties.

Research data shows that of the 54 professors who have the philosophical faculty, 14 of them have held or held political functions, including 9 of the PDK, 2 of the AKR, 1 from LDK, 1 from Vetevendosje! and 1 out of the ORA Reformist Party, though in the new trade, that of politicians, some professors have changed political parties more than once.

At the Juridic Faculty, out of 71 professors with the institution, 11 have been or are active in politics, which are politically of this composition: 6 from the PDK and 5 from the LDK.

At the Economics Faculty, of the total of 66 professors this faculty has found 18 professors who over the years have had the policy. Of them, 10 come from LDK, 7 from PDK, and one from Vetevendosje!

At the Faculty of Medicine, the situation is different, from 183 professors in total, 7 of whom have shared the fate of politics with upper colleagues. Of them, 3 come from PDK, 1 from LDK, 1 from AAK, 1 from AKR and 1 from Vetevendosje!

Recuring Party People

Preportr's research has also recorded a phenomenon involving the movement of senior officials linked to political parties, from one position to another. It seems that the political party has also found themselves close even in cases where they have been granted a mandate or have sought a better position.

Imer Hamiti (AAK), who worked on board the company Termokos, is currently a board member at Iber Lepenc, and Arsim Janova (LDK), who has been chief executive chief of the company, is currently a member of the Energy Regulatory Office board.

Muhamet Hamiti (LDK), who has been Kosovo's ambassador to Great Britain, is now chairman of the Steering Council at the National University Library of Kosovo.

Bujar Pir (AKR), has been dean at the Faculty of Applied Sciences in Ferizaj, while now (after becoming a university) is a member of the Foundation Council of Applied Sciences at Ferizaj.

Alush Istog (IQB/PDK) has been the director of pre-university education in August, now is a permanent secretary to the ministry.

Bajram Buyup (PDK) has been v. The director of the Kosovo Correcting Service is now the director of the institution.

Meritocracy Efforts

Since Kosovo's declaration of independence, the effort of several factors -- such as international ones, NGOs, media and others -- has been to employ professional people in important positions. But since nearly ten years after independence, this is not happening, there are those who offer another option, so that certain positions can be directly linked to political representatives, and it becomes clear that they are political appointments.

Politologist Arben Hajrullahu thinks this would make people assigned to these positions more responsible for their work, and in this context it would be known what the clear connection of responsibilities would be.

“should think options. Given the experiences and thinking rooted in Kosovo society, it would probably be best to make the most possible that specific positions are directly linked to political representatives and become clear that they are political appointments. This would lead to a clearer link of responsibilities and the overcoming of self-indulgence and self-destructive situations for many institutions and for the country at large”, Hajrullahu stressed, adding that elected representatives could be held to greater responsibility, since we as citizens have only mechanisation of the vote, really one of the most efficient mechanisms for punishing or reward of leaders in public office.

Hajrullahu says there can always be a face-to-face of arguments for and against which sectors should be regulated through political appointments and who through competitions and thus create a greater accountability and responsibility.

So, creating clear responsibility addresses, I believe, would simplify the work and rationalise maybe even the way it works. The current approach is perhaps one of the most harmful ways possible”, Hajrullahu says.

He says it is clear that there are positions that really have to be based on the institution of competition and meritocracy, and on these positions for which it is not possible to become political appointments, then the monitoring measure must be increased.

British Ambassador Ruairi O'Connell does not agree that political parties have appointed political appointments in top positions, but that they be made according to meritocracy and selected by professional commissions.

The “is not only that these structures do not function professionally, but that are not aimed at public interest, but party or private interest, and this is very negative and greatly damaging Kosovo”, he says.

Seeing that the entire process of recruiting people in these positions had degraded in Kosovo, the British Embassy has undertaken an initiative to help Kosovo make this process of recruiting law. This embassy has signed a consensus agreement with Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, and the offer is that a British company will help the process.

The option is that a British company will create a professional process, not have an interview for five minutes, but that there should be a slightly longer interview indeed to check who is best under professional standards”, says O'Connell.

Later, the offer included preparing a report for the minister or prime minister, depends on the position, to show who in fact were the best candidates.

The British Embassy has so far helped two processes, one of which is the selection of Kosovo Customs Director. Ten other cases are in the process of selection. It shows that in the case of the Customs director's selection, there has been a tendency to influence the process.

It is true that there are groupings in Kosovo or people who have wanted to interfere with their people in these positions, we are not naive that this does not happen”, he says, adding that the success of this project depends on the will of political parties in power.

Laws Do Not Stop Political Observation

The legal framework, which regulates employment in public administration, ranging from secretary-general to one regulating employment in agencies, independent regulators, including public enterprises, does not seem to directly prohibit policyisation of public institutions.

Although the Civil Service Law, Article 11, specifys that <x0) admission into the Kosovo Civil Service is in accordance with the principles of merit, professional ability, impartiality, equal opportunities, non-discrimination and equal representation, on the basis of public competition and after verifying the skills of the candidates”, however, this law has failed to prevent the politicisation of public administration.

Legal violations specify that boards should be professional and without criminal precedent or personal interests. However, laws on agencies do not specify anything about the preliminary political affiliation of these directors. As a result, directors of these important independent agencies can be senior members of political or even elected political parties.

In the process of selecting boards, the Law on Public Enterprises envisions that members of these boards are politically impartial. More precisely, a candidate at least 36 months before the application date cannot be an elected public official, appointed political or host of a leadership post or decision-making party.

Conscription of political advisers

A phenomenon that has spread over recent years concerns the employment of political advisers in high positions, especially in ministries. Many political advisers before the government's mandate or mandate of ministers is completed are employed as department directors or even in other senior positions. Preportr has found 26 political advisers who have already received high positions through competition recruiting. This shows that the competition for those positions is declared for the sake of face-to-face, because political advisers only switch offices from the cabinet of ministers to the office of certain departments. They usually get the most points in testing and are highly regarded in interviews.

Methodology:

This research by the Kosovar Centre for Investigative Journalial Journalialism, Prportr, aims to show the level and extent of the political auspices é capture of public institutions by political parties.

This research is a continuation of research conducted in 2014. All high officials employed through competitions in 2015 and 2016 have been verified. Only in this period of time have 116 senior officials been found linked to political parties.

The database created by the finds contains: The institution where the official, the name and the last name, the position, the date he took office, the connection to the political party, and the continuation of work over the years.

Focusing on research was just the level of high public positions as defined by the Law on the Declaration of Riches. The investigation has not included other public officials who are not obliged to declare property, even though there are doubts that a considerable part of them have been employed through political and family ties through political auspices and nepotism. Not included in these statistics are family (nepotism) officials with people of political parties and other public officials.

The criteria for determining the direct political connection of a senior public official with a political party have been that: a) the senior public official has competed in local or parliamentary elections for any political subject; b) the official has proved to be a member of political party bodies in central structure or branch facilities; c) officials have had political positions in the past, such as political advisers, and who after a while have taken a high public position through competition; d) the official has been campaigning political in public, whether through social networks, whether by political activities or by political parties.

For more: http://preportr.cro.org/sq/huluming/Dera-e-workers-228