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Greece: corruption and the crisis

Last month, Greeks went to the polls after two years of ceaseless crisis. After a vote that showed their frustration with the old regime and their desire for change, the question now should be how to tackle the rampant corruption that has driven a wedge between a people and their leaders. One answer is transparency. […]

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Nigeria: Government must defend rule of law and prosecute officials who commit fraud

The recent conviction of a rich and powerful Nigerian politician in a UK court for laundering stolen assets and news that Nigerian lawmakers are studying the elimination of its two main corruption-fighting commissions has left many members in the mighty West African country’s civil society with mixed feelings. On one hand it’s good to see […]

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Public service advertising – has political corruption found a new home?

The days of passing money under the table and in dark corridors may be over for corrupt politicians as they get smarter and savvier about bilking the system. The use of low interest loans to politicians (think Germany) and public companies to make campaign contributions (think Serbia) are just two new ways that political corruption […]

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French anti-corruption efforts coming up short

Ten French presidential candidates have already publicly engaged with our chapter Transparence International France’s 7 propositions for the fight against corruption – but President Nicolas Sarkozy has not. Transparence International France is calling on him to do so, along with all remaining presidential candidates. Just after his election victory in 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy said that […]

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A Hazy Awakening – Corruption risks capturing Hungary

In the picture of Hungary painted by Transparency International Hungary’s report on the country’s institutions last week, the colours would be quite blunt, with opaque areas in grey representing shady figures and institutions bound together very closely. In less artistic terms, it seems that nowadays private interests prevail over public interests, and Hungarians have just […]

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From Banana Revolution to Gorilla Election

387 Under the shadow of the biggest corruption scandal in Slovak history, the country’s parliamentary elections on 10 March offer the public an opportunity to get rid of old methods of doing politics in Slovakia. When Iveta Radicova’s government lost a vote of no confidence in the Slovak Parliament over the issue of EU’s bailout […]

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The people speak out ahead of Russian election

Ahead of the presidential elections taking place in Russia this Sunday we interviewed  Elena Panfilova, Board Member of Transparency International and Director of our Russian Chapter. Where is the greatest change needed in Russia today? Russia needs competition to return to all spheres of public life; particularly in politics, in the economy and in the […]

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Leaders out of touch? Elections in Senegal

Senegalese citizens voted in presidential elections yesterday after weeks of violent protests against incumbent President Aboulaye Wade’s effort to win a third term. Forum Civil, Transparency International’s chapter in the country has been working against the issues that threaten Senegal’s status as an established democracy. The following article was first published in the Huffington Post […]

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Corruption on the rise in Europe

A public opinion survey finds that corruption is a major problem across the European Union. The survey was published today by the European Commission. Two – thirds of Europeans believe corruption is a major problem in their country. Corruption continues to be one of the most important challenges facing Europe, harming the integrity of the […]

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A year in the life of the Egyptian civil society

By Engi M. El Haddad What a year… what turmoil of emotions … what renewed determination. At first it was elation. At long last we saw it happen. We saw our people stand up for their rights. After decades of being disparaged, harassed and made fun of, Egyptian civil society – small groups working on issues […]

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