Financing of presidential election campaign:

Although deadline for submitting reports on financing of campaign was ten days since the day of holding the elections, because of the fact that elections were repeated in one election unit, that deadline was extended and has expired only on February 22 2008. As some journalists found out, all nominators of candidates submitted reports, but neither parties that participated at this elections, nor Republic Election Commission haven't announced on that matter, nor made data on campaign financing available to voters.

We wish to remind firstly what should report on campaign financing contain: in accordance with form, which is to the suggestion of our organization adopted by the end of 2006, parties will be obligated to state names of two persons which are responsible for legal collecting and spending of assets, number of account from which they paid expenses, how many assets they gathered from membership fees, from renting party property and donations of physical persons and legal entities, what was the value of free services received for the campaign, as well as the names of people and firms which contributed to campaign with more than 6000 dinars.

Parties are also obliged to show in details their expenses: how much did the pay for advertising at TV and radio stations and how much did they pay and to whom on that bases; how much did advertising in certain news papers cost, which expenses did they have for preparation of advertising material, how much did they pay for preparing and posting posters and billboards and which activities they financed during campaign (transportation, space renting etc.). Since participants at the elections owe for some campaign expenses they are obligated to precisely state to whom and how much, as well as out of which legal assets will they pay the rest.

Obligation of check of data accuracy from this party reports lays completely to Republic Election Commission. Last year after parliamentary elections, impression was that REC unwillingly accepted this mission. Result was that complete job of verifying was insufficiently clearly defined, that for verification were engaged only two auditors, servants of National Assembly, and that in the end, uncritically accepted report in which it is said in which level party reports are in accordance with their own documentation, but nothing about whether all expenses for all activities during campaign were stated in reports on financing. However, in those rare cases when REC, on the bases of such limited control, determined braking of Law, a single misdemeanor procedure wasn't brought. Data from report on campaign financing became available to public only several weeks after their submitting, although Law itself claims that those are public documents, and not thanks to clear decision of REC on that matter, but due to that some members of REC made those reports available to journalists.

In order to prevent that this year things develop in a wrong direction, we submitted, on January 15 th , initiative to REC to change its Rules of procedure and to access to performing its tasks on the basis of Law on financing of political parties more seriously. Changing of Rules of Procedure would have for goal to secure following:

Unfortunately, for now there is no news that REC in past months and a half dealt with this matters, whether by our initiative or by its own initiative. Considering that deadline for verification started on February 22 nd and lasts for 90 days, chances to improve control on financing of campaign become lesser and lesser.

REC is not the only organ which has its role in control of campaign financing.

Ministry of finances is responsible for transfer of budget assets to election participants. It already performed this role. However, Law on financing of political parties, in article 10, para. 3 presents clear obligation to all of those who spent until the day of holding elections less then amount gained from the budget to return difference to the budget. We asked from Ministry data on whether someone fulfilled its obligation.

Republic Broadcasting Agency set the obligation to broadcasters to broadcast advertisements of election participants under the same financial conditions. On previous elections, monitoring over conducting of this obligation wasn't made systematically, but only by reports. RBA should made one step further in verification of its rules, and on the basis of insight into party reports on how much did the pay to television or radio stations for advertising determine whether there was some privileges.