“The regulation of political party funding is essential to guarantee parties’ independence from undue influence of private donors, as well as state and public bodies, to ensure that parties have the opportunity to compete in accordance with the principle of equal opportunity, and to provide for transparency in political financing.” According to international standards, legislation has to regulate private funding, including donations, in-kind and third-party contributions, as well as leases. It is advisable to provide for ceilings for individual donations and to exclude corporate donations to limit the ability of particular categories of persons or groups to gain political influence and influence the decision-making process through financial advantages. Moreover, as noted by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in General Comment No. 25, “reasonable limitations on campaign expenditure may be justified where this is necessary to ensure that the free choice of voters is not undermined or the democratic process distorted by the disproportionate expenditure on behalf of any candidate or party”. This is also true for questions submitted to referendums.