Article 12 of the draft amendments changes Article 24 para 2 of the Law to significantly lower the amount a natural person can yearly donate to a political party from 10,000-fold of the minimum salary prescribed by law to 250-fold of the minimum salary prescribed by law, whereas the minimum salary for the purposes of calculation is set at 1,000 Drams (equivalent to less than EUR 2). The draft law proposes a cap at 250-fold of the minimum salary prescribed by law; however, the authorities informed the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission that 2500-fold was meant (below EUR 5000). Legislation setting reasonable limits to the amount a single individual can contribute to a political party has been shown to be an effective way to curb political corruption and prevent the dependency of a party on wealthy individuals.29 As previously stated by OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission “Legislation mandating contribution limits should be carefully balanced between ensuring that there is no distortion in the political process in favour of wealthy interests and encouraging political participation, including by allowing individuals to contribute to the parties of their choice”.30 The legislator is reminded, however, that political party regulation should allow for an adequate balance between public and private funding.31 Legislation should ensure that new or small parties are able to receive some funding, private or public, that would allow them to effectively participate in the political process and make their ideas heard.
