Lustration can serve as a form of punishment by anti-communist politicians who were dissidents under a Communist-led government.[citation needed] Lustration laws are usually passed right before elections, and become tightened when right-wing governments are in power, and loosened while social democratic parties are in power.[6] It is claimed that lustration systems based on dismissal or confession might be able to increase trust in government,[7] while those based on confession might be able to promote social reconciliation.[7]