Article |
17
1. When a political campaign begins all expenditure designated to finance the political campaign may be paid only from the funds kept in the political campaign account. 2. In those cases where the constituency covers the entire territory of the Republic of Lithuania, the maximum amount of expenditure to fund the political campaign of one independent political campaign participant shall be calculated in the following manner: The number of voters entered on the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania shall be multiplied by LTL 1 and the received product shall be rounded up within the accuracy of the first two significant digits. 3. In those cases where the constituency covers a part of the territory of the Republic of Lithuania, the maximum amount of expenditure to fund the political campaign of one independent political campaign participant shall be calculated in the following manner: the number of voters of one constituency shall be multiplied by LTL 2 and the received product shall be rounded up within the accuracy of the first two significant digits. If the received product is less than LTL 20 000, the fixed maximum amount of the political campaign expenditure shall be LTL 20 000. In elections to municipal councils a political party, which has nominated a list (lists) of candidates, may additionally spend for this political campaign not more than 10 per cent of the maximum amount of the expenditure of the political campaign of the lists of candidates nominated by this party. 4. Expenditure and assumed liabilities of the political campaign participant during the political campaign period shall be recognised as political campaign funding expenditure, where such liabilities and expenditure are designated for: 1) production or distribution of political advertising or any other campaigning material through any means of the mass media or in any other public mode; 2) remuneration of the political campaign treasurer and performance of his functions; 3) a political campaign auditing firm; 4) the rent of movables and immovables necessary during the political campaign; *5) rent, exploitation of vehicles used for the political campaign; 6) communications, meals, provision of accommodation and transport of political campaign volunteers, political party's or candidate's representatives for the election or election (referendum) observers; 7) other expenditure defined in this Law. 5. Expenditure designated for the purpose indicated in paragraph 4 of this Article but incurred during the period other than a political campaign period, if the movables and immovables and other assets specified in the said paragraph are intended for political campaign or if services are received during the political campaign period, shall be recognized as political campaign expenditure. In this case political campaign participants must inform the Central Electoral Commission about this, attaching copies of the documents confirming the expenditure. When necessary, the Central Electoral Commission may request additional information. 6. The amount of every political campaign participant's expenditure referred to in paragraphs 4 and 5 of this Article may not exceed the maximum amounts of expenditure set in paragraph 2 or 3 of this Article. In the cases where under the election law a run-off voting is carried out, the maximum amount of political campaign expenditure of a candidate who participates in the run-off voting shall be increased by 25 per cent. 7. The following shall not be regarded as political campaign expenditure: 1) the expenditure incurred by political parties, potential candidates, candidates, referendum initiators, referendum opponents under legal services contracts; 2) expenditure designated for payment of the election deposit; 3) expenditure designated for potential candidate's, candidate's travelling (transport and accommodation) to a constituency; 4) expenditure for payment for facilities of the political party and for activities of the staff, where such expenditure is incidental to this political party during the period other than the political campaign period. 8. If during the political campaign period a political campaign participant (with the exception of the political parties, candidates or lists of candidates nominated by them) gathered more funds than was used to cover the political campaign expenditure, the unused funds may be transferred to the state budget prior to the submission of a political campaign funding statement to the Central Electoral Commission. Funds that have not been used by political parties, candidates or lists of candidates nominated by them may be designated only for funding activities of the political party. *Note. This Law shall not apply to the political campaigns which began prior to the entry into force of this Law.
|