Allocation and re-allocation of public funds for electoral subjects
1. Electoral subjects benefit financing from the public funds in accordance with the rules provided in this Code. The amount of public funds to be allocated to electoral subjects is determined by an Assembly decision together with the election budget, in accordance with article 86 of this Code.
2. The amount of public funds that is allocated to each of the electoral subjects is determined by a CEC decision in accordance with the following rules:
a) 50 percent of the amount is to be distributed among political parties that are registered as electoral subjects and that have seats in the Assembly, which is determined according to the CEC decision that declares the final result of the preceding elections. This sum is given to these political parties by the CEC no later than 5 days after their registration as electoral subjects and the submission of the multi-name list for each electoral zone.
b) 50 percent of the total amount is to be distributed among political parties that are registered as electoral subjects and that have obtained not less than 2 seats in the Assembly in the preceding elections for the Assembly, in proportion with the votes they obtained nationwide according to the CEC decision for the announcement of the final result of the preceding elections.
3. A party that has received public funds in accordance with letter (b) of point 1 of this article and does not win any seats in the forthcoming elections must return the respective amount received. These amounts are to be deposited to the CEC bank account. The return of funds is to be done no later than 30 days after the announcement of the final election result. In case of failure to fulfil this obligation without reasonable cause, the CEC requests that the Minister of Finance order the Treasury Office to retain these amounts from other budgetary funds that these parties receive and transfer them to the CEC budget.
4. A party that according to point 3 of this article does not return the respective funds loses the right to further financing from public funds for a period of time of not less than 5 years, as well as not being registered as an electoral subject either on its own or as part of any coalition in the subsequent elections, regardless of what kind.
5. Funds returned in accordance with point 3 of this article are re-allocated by a decision of the CEC to the political parties that have obtained seats in the Assembly. Distribution is made according to the same percentage as the percentage of seats obtained in the current elections. The decision is taken by the CEC no later than 30 days after the announcement of the final election result.
6. If the fund according to point 4 of this article is not fully returned by the electoral subjects, the CEC is compensated this fund from the state budget.
7. The CEC issues the respective instructions for the implementation of this article.
