21 October 2009
Presidential candidates in Belarus might be allowed to use own funds for election campaign
MINSK, 21 October (BelTA) – There are plans to allow presidential candidates and candidates to the Belarusian parliament to use their own funds during election campaign, BelTA learnt from Lydia Yermoshina, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus. The bill on the amendments and addenda to the electoral law will be considered at the autumn session. It will envisage the creation of individual financial funds of the presidential candidates and candidates to the Belarusian parliament. The amendments will not extend to local elections, Lydia Yermoshina explained. These funds will consist of personal assets of candidates; money provided by sponsors, including Belarusian citizens and organizations, in particular, business structures. Foreign citizens and organizations, companies with foreign investments and organizations financed from the state budget will not be allowed to donate to these funds. These funds will enable candidates to buy additional air time on television and radio, organize meetings with voters, rent premises, and publish additional promotional materials. “This will make the election campaign more vigorous,” the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission said. “These individual financial funds will help candidates make their election campaign brighter. After all, the main complaint of voters is that the election campaign is boring. However it may also be blamed on little efforts of candidates to make this campaign more vivid and on the absence of interesting programmes. But even if a candidate arouses interest, one TV presentation is not enough to be remembered by voters,” Lydia Yermoshina said. She added that the money raised to these funds should not exceed a particular amount.БЕЛТА