Paragraph 45

 

45.  Campaign finance was formerly regulated by Article 103 of the Law on Parliamentary Elections. Article 103 has been superseded by the 2004 Law on Financing of Political Parties, which regulates campaign financing of presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections, and introduces a much more stringent framework for party and campaign finances as a whole. The 2004 Law on Financing of Political Parties sets limits on political party expenditures and individual contributions to political parties. While the introduction of this new law is a welcome development towards increasing transparency and accountability in political party finances, the OSCE/ODIHR EOM report on the 2004 Presidential Election indicates that its implementation was a source of controversy. Several points in the law were interpreted differently by the candidates and the Ministry of Finance. This resulted in a heated political debate and legal action being filed against the Ministry of Finance.