Basic Principles of Formation and Functioning of Electoral Funds of Parties and Electoral Funds of MP Candidates. Control over Electoral Funds

1. The electoral fund of a party shall have one accumulation account to which the funds for financing the election campaign of the party shall be transferred, as well as current accounts from which the expenditures relating to election campaigning shall be covered. Resources shall be transferred to the current accounts of a party’s electoral fund exclusively from the accumulation account of its electoral fund.

A party shall open an electoral fund account no later than on the tenth day following the day of registration by the Central Election Commission of candidates included in the party’s electoral lists.

An MP candidate’s electoral fund shall have one current account to which the funds for financing the election campaign of an MP candidate shall be transferred and from which the expenditures relating to election campaigning shall be covered.

An MP candidate shall be entitled to open a current account of his or her electoral fund in the case if he or she finances his or her election campaign independent from a party, in the electoral lists of which he or she is included.

The amount of the resources in an MP candidate’s electoral fund shall not exceed four thousand minimal salaries, established as of January 1 of the respective year.

2. A party shall open the accumulation account of its electoral fund at a banking institution of Ukraine located in the city of Kyiv, and no more than one current account at a banking institution within the electoral region. One current account of the party’s electoral fund may serve several electoral regions.

An MP candidate shall open a current account of his or her electoral fund at a banking institution within a respective electoral region, depending on his or her inclusion in the regional electoral list of a party.

3. Accounts of electoral funds shall be opened in banking institutions in the national currency.

4. An accumulation account of a party’s electoral fund and a current account of an MP candidate’s electoral fund shall be opened on the basis of a copy of the decision of the Central Election Commission on registration of candidates included in the electoral lists of the respective party. A current account of a party’s electoral fund shall be opened on the basis of a certificate from a banking institution certifying the opening of the accumulation account of the electoral fund.

5. The procedure for opening and closing the accounts of electoral funds shall be established by the National Bank of Ukraine in coordination with the Central Election Commission, no later than fifty-three days prior to the day of voting.

6. The funds in the current accounts of the electoral fund shall be spent only in a cashless form.

7. The banking institutions’ services relating to the opening and closing of the accounts of the electoral fund, as well as to the functioning thereof, shall be delivered free of charge. A banking institution shall neither accrue nor pay any interest rates on the funds maintained in the accounts of the electoral fund.

8. No later than on the next business day following the day of opening of the account of a party’s electoral fund, the banking institution shall notify the Central Election Commission and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention in writing of the opening of the respective account and its details.

No later than on the next business day following the day of opening of a current account of an MP candidate’s electoral fund, the banking institution shall notify the respective regional or territorial office of the Central Election Commission and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention in writing of the opening of the respective account and its details.

9. The information on the opening of the accumulation account of a party’s electoral fund and its respective details shall be published by the Central Election Commission on its official website, no later than on the fifth day following the day of receipt of the notification from a banking institution on opening the accumulation account of a party’s electoral fund.

The information on the opening of the current account of an MP candidate’s electoral fund and its respective details shall be entered by the respective regional or territorial office of the Central Election Commission in the information analysis system for its further publication on the official website of the Central Election Commission, no later than on the fifth day following the day of receipt of the notification from a banking institution on opening the current account of an MP candidate’s electoral fund.

Further information on the details of the accumulation account of a party’s electoral fund and current account of an MP candidate’s electoral fund shall be published in mass media at the expense of the resources of the electoral fund.

10. The spending of the funds in current accounts of the electoral fund shall be terminated at 18:00 on the last Friday prior to the day of voting.

11. The accounts of the electoral funds shall be closed by the banking institutions on the fifteenth day of the day of the official promulgation by the Central Election Commission of the results of the election of MPs.

12. Seizure of the funds in the accounts of an electoral fund prior to the day of voting shall not be allowed.

13. Closing of the accounts or termination of transactions in the accounts of the electoral fund before the deadline specified in Part ten and eleven of this Article shall not be allowed.

14. Control over the electoral funds of parties shall be exercised by the Central Election Commission, the National Agency for Corruption Prevention and the banking institutions, in which accounts of the electoral funds of parties have been opened.

Control over the electoral funds of MP candidates shall be exercised by the respective regional or territorial office of the Central Election Commission, the National Agency for Corruption Prevention Central Election Commission and the banking institutions, in which current accounts of electoral funds of candidates have been opened.

Control provided for by this Part shall be performed in accordance with the procedure established no later than fifty-three days prior to the day of voting by the Central Election Commission jointly with the National Bank of Ukraine and approved with the National Agency for Corruption Prevention.

15. The banking institutions, in which accounts of electoral funds of parties were opened, shall, on a weekly (daily) basis or upon request, provide the information to the Central Election Commission and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention, on the amounts and sources of contributions received in the accounts of the electoral funds, as well as with information on the flow of resources, and on the remaining resources.

The banking institutions, in which current accounts of electoral funds of MP candidates were opened, shall, on a weekly (daily) basis or upon request, provide the information to the respective regional or territorial office of the Central Election Commission and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention, on the amounts and sources of contributions received in the accounts of the electoral funds, as well as with information on the flow of resources, and on the remaining resources.

The said information shall be provided in accordance with the procedure to be established pursuant to Part fourteen of this Article.