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Donations made to finance the costs of election campaigns for candidates nominated by political parties to participate in the election of deputies to the Croatian parliament, the election of members of the Croatian Parliament, and the election of members of the representative bodies of local and regional governmental units shall be paid to special accounts of such political parties to be opened thereby for the purposes of financing their election campaign costs.
Donations made to finance the costs of election campaigns for independent slates and candidates shall be paid to special accounts of independent slate heads or candidates, as described in paragraph (3) of this Article.
Special accounts specified in paragraph (2) of this Article shall be opened by:
- candidates for the President of the Republic of Croatia, regardless of whether they have been nominated by political parties or electors;
- independent slate heads in the election of members of the European Parliament;
- candidates for municipality and city mayors, county prefects and the mayor of the City of Zagreb, regardless of whether they have been nominated by political parties or electors;
- independent slate heads in the election of deputies to the Croatian Parliament and candidates for national minority deputies; and
- independent slate heads in the election of members of the representative bodies of local and regional governmental units.
The political parties, candidates and independent slate heads specified in paragraph (3) of this Article, as well as persons intending to stand for election, shall open special accounts for the purposes of financing their election campaigns not later than the date of the submission of their candidature and may open them no earlier than one year before the date set as the election day, provided that the date set as the election day shall be deemed to constitute the date when the election was held during the current term of office if no specific date has been set by law as the election day.
Donations made to finance election campaigns may be collected solely on the accounts specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Article and not later than the deadline set for the submission of election campaign financing statements referred in Article 34(1) of this Act.
In the event of the failure to submit, the untimely submission of, the invalidity of, or the withdrawal of candidature, the persons who have opened their special accounts shall return any unspent donations paid to such accounts to their payers, in proportion to any amount as may have been donated.
The special accounts specified in paragraph (2) of this Article shall be retail transfer accounts opened with selected banks in any such manner and according to any such procedure as may be specified in the general rules of banking operations, and shall be intended solely for the receipt of payments by way of donations made to finance election campaigns, but not for the receipt of other payments made to account holders on any other grounds (e.g. income from self-employment or employment, etc.). Likewise, the funds collected on such accounts by way of donations shall not be used for any purpose other than to cover the costs of election campaigns.