Where will presidential candidates take money for pre-electoral campaign?

Presidential candidates will have an opportunity to spend more than 60 thousand dollars for campaigning at this election. 26 thousand dollars will be provided by the Central Election Commission, all the rest should be found by candidates themselves. The European Radio for Belarus has asked whether the candidates will create individual funds and where they plan to take the money. 

The Vice-Chairman of the United Civic Party Jaraslau Ramanchuk has confessed he will definitely create an individual fund. However, its capacity is ridiculous for such a campaign.

Jaraslau Ramanchuk: “35 thousand dollars cannot be considered real money by any criteria. More money needed for election of a Mayor in some small town in Ukraine, Poland or Lithuania, than for presidential election in Belarus - this is just to make an impression there is at least some freedom in this issue in Belarus. In fact, this sum has no considerable meaning with regard to campaigning, or dissemination of informational materials”.

Ramanchuk hopes the party members and his supporters will transfer the money in the first place. As for entrepreneurs, they might be afraid to do so as it is necessary to provide the detailed information about themselves when they transfer money to a candidate's account.

The team of the "Tell the Truth!" leader Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu also counts on the common people in the first place. The HQ head Andrej Dzmitryeu has told Euroradio about it. 

Andrej Dzmitryeu: “People all over the country will make donations to our election fund. I think we will manage to achieve that, that there will be donations and we are capable of forming a bigger fund than it is allowed by the State”.

At the same time Dzmitryeu expressed his astonishment with regard to the limits set by the CEC regulation. According to it, a candidate can deposit no more than 600 dollars in it, legal entities - 300, and physical persons - only 100 dollars. 

This fact also irritates the leader of the campaign "European Belarus" Andrej Sannikau.

Andrej Sannikau: “This is what they count upon - they need more people to transfer money. Moreover, I foresee the companies will hesitate - not everyone will want to say openly he helped a candidate. As for physical persons, I don't think there will be any trouble”.

At the same time he agreed the officially allowed fund's capacity was too small.

The Chairman of the Small and Medium Business Association Viktar Tsiareshchanka also plans to fill the personal fund with the help of legal entities and physical persons. The entrepreneur Dzmitry Us says the same. He claims he will collect money upon the "go round with the hat" principle. 

The BPF candidate Ryhor Kastusyou also plans to "go round with the hat". At the same time, he counts on the entrepreneurs - citizens of Belarus who work abroad.

Ryhor Kastusyou: “We'll go round with the hat - there are physical persons, and friends-entrepreneurs who are more or less stable in financial terms - I hope they will help us. They are citizens of Belarus but work in Russia. They have a right to help as they are still Belarusian citizens”.

He hopes he will manage to collect the sum allowed by the authorities. As for the Co-Chairman of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Vital Rymasheuski, he doubts it. Actually, he is sure there will be a lot of people wishing to help him financially, but non-officially, without transferring money to a bank account.

Vital Rymasheuski: “We do not have grand expectations with regard to the official electoral account. However, we do count on support. The BCD would never have passed the signature collection stage successfully without the cizizens' help. I tell you that openly. There are a lot of our friends and people who know about the BCD's activity who can help us without any funds. Thus, we count on these people's further support and hope new people will join. As everything the authorities allow officially is a trap for those who want to donate money”.

Mikalaj Statkevich is also convinced that ordinary people and firms will be afraid to support democratic candidates openly and transfer money to their accounts. Thus, he says he has no plans to open such an account and will use the money provided by the Central Election Commission.

Photo: http://bymedia.net/