The signatory organizations are protesting against the unjustified increase of the amounts allocated for the subsidies of the political parties. We took note from the public statement of Prime Minister Florin Cîțu on September 7 that an additional fund was approved so as to reach last year’s level, at the request of the Permanent Electoral Authority. Thus, we show our dissatisfaction with an allocation of almost 90 million lei, which supplements the already large budgets of political parties.
Prime Minister Florin Cîțu declared in 2020 that he will reduce the subsidies to make substantial savings in the budget for following year: “I am working on the budget for 2021 and just like in 2020 I will propose REAL savings to the state budget by cutting political parties and in 2021. In 2020, although election year, we cut the subsidy for political parties by 30%. Marcel Ciolacu, this is how substantial savings are made in next year’s budget.” However, in August a proposal for an increase of almost 100 million lei was submitted. Although the Government gave up the increase in subsidies, following a request submitted by EFOR, and following public pressure, we found out yesterday that there will be this supplement, especially given that it is not even included in the draft publicly available GEO.
Although the 2021 budget had allocated 162 million lei, for a year that is not electoral and therefore with low expenses, the budget rectification brought an additional that we consider unjustified. We also consider equally unjustified the statement of the AEP president, Mr. Constantin-Florin Mitulețu-Buică, regarding the fact that this is the normal level for subsidies and that it cannot decrease, as the parties have made certain plans. This statement suggests the intention for a steady increase in subsidies in the coming years. An analysis of the significant increase in subsidies in recent years is available on www.banipartide.ro, a portal developed by EFOR.
Expert Forum showed that the political parties spent in the first six months only half of the 92 million lei received. Thus, it is difficult to understand what 90 million more will be used for, given that the money already allocated is not spent. We also pointed out that a large part of this money was dedicated to the media for advertising, moving away from the purpose of allocating subsidies, which should be to develop the capacity of political parties. We also highlight that the main parties that receive money, PSD and PNL, did not respond to the requests made according to the law on access to information of public interest, through which we requested the contracts from subsidies. The accumulation of significant sums by political parties by 2024, in the next elections, is a danger to the balance in election campaigns, with an impact on democratic competition.
We call for the revocation of the additional funding and call on political parties to be accountable, transparent and not to use subsidies as a tool to buy political influence.
Contact: Septimius Parvu, [email protected], 0787.638.315
Supporting organizations
ActiveWatch
Asociația Voci pentru Democrație și Justiție – VeDem Just
Asociația Pentru Minți Pertinente AMPER
Centrul pentru Studiul Democrației
Centrul pentru Resurse Civice
Centrul pentru Inovare Publică
CeRe: Centrul de Resurse pentru Participare Publică
CIVICA Iași
Expert Forum
Geeks for Democracy
Mișcarea pentru Dezvoltarea Moldovei
Oradea Civică 2017
Societatea Studențească de Științe Politice
Asociația Miliția Spirituală
Asociația Respiro Human Rights Research Centre
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#Rezist Milano
Mircea Kivu, sociolog
Sanda Foamete, activist civic