Last year, political parties received financial benefits of over 38 million lei

Chisinau, July 14. /MOLDPRES/- During 2022, political parties received financial benefits worth over 38 million lei (about 1.9 million euros) from the state budget. The data are included in a report of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), unveiled by CEC head Angelica Caraman today.

According to the 2022 Report on financing political parties and electoral campaigns, last year financial means worth 42 million lei were earmarked in the CEC budget, which were to be distributed to 36 political parties, according to their performance at the snap elections of 11 July 2021, the presidential election of 1 November 2020 and the general local elections of 20 October 2019.

According to the Commission, not all financial means were distributed because some political parties did not present the data of their bank accounts, and in the case of six political parties the transfer of allocations from the state budget was suspended, following the sanctioning of these formations. Thus, the total value of the benefits was 38.6 million lei.

At the same time, the CEC representatives said that during the past year, contraventional processes were initiated against two political parties for the way of managing financial means, in connection with the use contrary to the intended purpose of allocations from the state budget.

According to the decision adopted by the parliament after hearing the report, the CEC is to ensure the modification of the normative acts aimed at the supervision and control of the financing of parties and electoral campaigns in accordance with the provisions of the new Electoral Code, as well as to develop new mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating compliance with the normative framework by subjects involved in the financing of parties and electoral campaigns.

CEC is to contribute to ensuring transparency in the political financing, to preventing and combating political corruption, including reducing money laundering practices in financing political parties and electoral campaigns. The parliament also recommended the Commission to identify conceptual mechanisms on the deletion of inactive political parties from the Register.

CEC annually submits to the Parliament a report on financing political parties, electoral campaigns and initiative groups.

Photo: Parliament