A Belarusian can donate 115 dollars to a candidate, while a Ukrainian - $46
As for the whole election campaign, Belarusian presidential candidates can spend 16.5 times less money for it than Lithuanian ones, and 86 times less than Polis
The most interesting stage of the election campaign - pre-electoral
campaigning - starts on November18. Euroradio has decided to compare
financial capacities of presidential election campaigns in Belarus and
in the neighbouring countries.
| Country | Fund capacity (USD) |
Maximal input of a citizen (USD) |
| Belarus | 61 300 (together with 26,6 thousand dollars from the state budget) |
115 (350 thousand Belarusian roubles) |
| Lithuania | 1 020 000 | 16 410 (42000 litas) |
| Poland | 5 300 000 | 6 760 (19755 złotys) |
| Russia | 12 760 000 | 191 000 (6 million Russian roubles) |
| Ukraine | Unlimited | 45 650 (362800 hryvnias) |
Thus, a candidate for President can spend a little more than 60 thousand dollars during election in Belarus:
the state budget provides 26,6 thousand, and personal fund can amount
to about 35 thousand dollars. A candidate himself can donate 580 dollars
to this fund, a legal entity - no more than 350 dollars, and an
ordinary citizen - 115 dollars at the maximum.
Unlike Belarus, Poland does not provide money to candidates.
"No
financing is granted by the state budget, either during an election
campaign or after election. There are also no subsidies or any other
payments to the election committees that won", – says the expert of the State election commission Krzysztof Lorenc.
According to him, the Poles can transfer much more money to the candidates' accounts than in our country.
Krzysztof Lorenc: "The sum which a physical person can donate to one election committee cannot surpass 15 minimal wages, which is 19755 złotys".
This
is almost 7 thousand dollars. On the whole, the candidates' election
committees could spend 5 million 300 thousand dollars (15,5 million złotys) at the previous election. 80% of the money went for advertising: TV-commercials, posters and billboards.
A
citizen of Lithuania can donate even more money to a candidate than in
Poland, says the head of the political parties and campaigns financing
department of the Lithuanian Election Commission Linata Tronene.
Linata Tronene: "It
was allowed to transfer up to 39000 litas, but then there have been
amendments in the legislation so now it is allowed to transfer 42
thousand".
This is almost 16,5 thousand dollars! This very
sum can also be donated by legal entities, including political parties. A
Lithuanian candidate can spend more than 1 million dollars for the
whole campaign. For example, Dalia Grybauskaitė collected almost 200 thousand dollars for her election campaign in 2009.
Even bigger sum for donations is allowed in Ukraine.
Each Ukrainian can donate up to 400 minimal wages, which is more than
40 thousand dollars at the moment, to his candidate. As for limitations
with regard to candidate's personal money or the money of his party,
there are none. The experts claim the latest presidential campaign in
Ukraine was worth approximately 500 million - 1 billion dollars.
Finally, in Russia
a candidate for President can have expenses for the total sum of about
13 million dollars (400 million Russian roubles). Those who make it to
the second round are allowed to spend 3 million dollars more. A
candidate's personal money can make no more than 10% of the whole sum,
donations made by citizens and legal entities - no more than 1,5% and 7%
of the maximum sum respectively.
Photo: photo.bymedia.net
