Electoral political campaign expenditure and limits thereon

1. Electoral political campaign expenditure shall cover the expenses specified in this Article intended for organising and financing an electoral political campaign, irrespective of the date of the transaction which has entailed the expenses.

2. When an electoral political campaign begins, all expenditure to finance the electoral political campaign may be paid only from the funds in the electoral political campaign account.

3. For the constituency covering the entire territory of the Republic of Lithuania, the maximum expenditure per campaigner (a candidate in a single-member constituency/ a list of candidates) for financing the electoral political campaign shall be calculated as follows: the number of voters entered on the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania shall be multiplied by 0.0005 of the AME applicable for elections and the product received shall be rounded up to the first two significant digits.

4. For a constituency covering a part of the territory of the Republic of Lithuania, the maximum expenditure per campaigner (a candidate in a single-member constituency/a list of candidates) for financing of an electoral political campaign shall be calculated as follows: the number of voters in one constituency shall be multiplied by 0.001 of the AME applicable for elections and the product received shall be rounded up to the first two significant digits. If the product received is less than 10 amounts of the AME applicable for elections, the limit on expenditure shall be set at 10 amounts of the AME applicable for elections.

5. A political party that has nominated more than one list of candidates at a municipal election may additionally spend for the electoral political campaign not more than 10 per cent of the maximum expenditure set out for the lists of candidates nominated by this party.

6. The limit on expenditure of a political organisation which was registered as an independent participant in an electoral political campaign and which has not nominated any candidate or list of candidates shall comprise one AME applicable for elections.

7. When a run-off voting is conducted in the cases set out in this Code, the limit on expenditure of a candidate who participates in the run-off voting shall be increased by 25 per cent.

8. The expenses incurred and liabilities assumed by a campaigner during an electoral political campaign shall be recognised as electoral political campaign expenditure, if such expenses and liabilities are designated for the following purposes:

1) production or distribution of political advertising or any other campaign material through any mass media outlet or in any other public means;

2) remuneration of the treasurer and performance of the treasure’s functions;

3) payment for the services of an audit firm or an auditor of the electoral political campaign;

4) rent of movable or immovable things necessary for the electoral political campaign;

5) rent, exploitation of vehicles used for the electoral political campaign;

6) communications, meals, accommodation and transport of electoral political campaign volunteers, political organisation’s or candidate’s representatives for the election or election observers;

7) expenses of campaigners under legal service contracts;

8) expenses of campaigners under service contracts for holding the electoral political campaign as well as consultation and training within the framework of the electoral political campaign;

9) expenses related to travel of candidates to the constituency (transportation and accommodation expenses);

10) other needs stipulated in this Code and related to the electoral political campaign, other than the cost of payment of an election deposit.

9. The value of services provided by an analysis centre established by a political party to candidates and/or to lists of candidates nominated by the political party for the purposes of an electoral political campaign shall be recognised as electoral political campaign expenditure of a campaigner.

10. Expenses incurred during an electoral political campaign shall also include the expenditure incurred beyond the electoral political campaign for the purposes set out in paragraph (8), with the exception of points (7) and (9), provided that the things, other assets and services referred to in that paragraph are intended for the electoral political campaign or that the services are obtained during electoral political campaign. Campaigners must notify the abovementioned to the Central Electoral Commission, attaching copies of the documents confirming the expenditure. Where necessary, the Central Electoral Commission may request additional information.

11. The amount of every campaigner’s expenses referred to in paragraph (8), except for points (7) and (9), and paragraphs (9) and (10) may not exceed the limit on expenditure fixed for the participant.

12. The following shall not be regarded as electoral political campaign expenditure:

1) expenditure designated for the payment of an election deposit;

2) expenses designated for the rent and maintenance of the premises of a political organisation and for work of the staff, where such expenses are incidental to this political organisation beyond the electoral political campaign.

13. The services referred to in paragraph 8, points (7) and (8) may be provided to campaigners only by citizens of the Republic of Lithuania, other Members States of the European Union or Member Countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, citizens of the States of the European Economic Area (hereinafter: ‘designated states’) as well as legal persons, organisations, and their branches established in designated states, except where one-fourth or more of the voting rights at the meeting of the participants of such a legal person or another organisation belong to other than the designated state or belong to the legal persons established in states other than the designated states and/or to their citizens. Service providers who have concluded contracts with campaigners for the provision of the services referred to in paragraph 8, points (7) and (8) may enlist only the entities that meet the same requirements as the ones that apply to themselves. This requirement shall also apply to providers of the services specified in paragraph 8, points (7) and (8), which were provided before the beginning of an electoral political campaign period but were intended for the electoral political campaign.

14. When evaluating whether the contracts for the provision of the services referred to in paragraph 8, points (7) and (8) have been concluded only with the entities indicated in paragraph 13, the Central Electoral Commission shall obtain the necessary data from state registers, information systems and databases. Legal persons, organisations, and their branches established in another Member State of the European Union, Member Country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation or State of the European Economic Area, and citizens of the Member States must submit to the Central Electoral Commission an extract from the appropriate register or documents from the competent authorities of the state in which they are established or have their registered office, regarding the incorporation or the registered office.

15. If a campaigner fails to declare within the time limits set out in this Code the amount of electoral political campaign expenditure that would exceed the participant’s spending limit, the Central Electoral Commission shall oblige the campaigner to transfer a sum equal to the amount of the undeclared electoral political campaign expenditure to the state budget within 20 working days, unless the party has been deprived of state budget appropriations due to gross infringements of this Code.

16. Persons who fail to comply with the decisions of the Central Electoral Commission shall be held liable under the procedure laid down by law.